An Immortal's Adventure
by The Inspirationalist
Summary: Given the chance to work for Kami and Shinigami Naruto eagerly accepts, but going to new worlds is one thing he never expected to do. What difference can an Avatar make in the world of Elibe, and how different will the change be? GODLIKE Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

In a place untouchable by mere mortals, a teenage blonde stood in the middle of a large back garden, his eyes closed and his hands down by his sides. All around him the wind had picked up to rapid speeds, easily pointing out that something was going to happen.

The teen's eyes snapped open as he tilted his head back slightly, dodging a fist that was aimed for his cheek from another replica of him. Bringing up his hand he struck the clone in the chin, causing the clone to disperse as two more popped into existence and charged him. One clone jumped into the air and went for a flying kick while the other went for a sliding kick.

The original smiled as he flipped through the attacks, effortlessly evading both hits as he retaliated with two quick strikes, dispersing them as three more popped into existence. Two shot towards the original as one placed his hands together for a jutsu, going through eight hand seals.

Easily dispersing the first clone he grabbed the second clone and threw it at the third, the collision dispersing both of them. "That'll do for now. I've been at it all day." The teen told himself as he headed indoors to get a shower and clean himself up.

He was Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the second container for the ten tailed divine dragon, a pink-white dragon of unparalleled might. Eighteen years old physically, in truthful age he was seven thousand four hundred and thirty two years old, the fourth oldest being to still be alive, the third being the dragon that had been sealed in his gut and the first and second oldest being alive were Kami and Shinigami.

When Naruto was eighteen with the nine tailed fox still sealed in his gut, he went on a solo mission against Madara Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha, defeating the latter but leaving him alive. Going against Madara he was effortlessly defeated and had the beast extracted, however a failsafe within the seal caused the fox, which was fusing with the other eight, to permanently fuse with Naruto causing the other eight tailed beasts to fuse with him also, the ten tailed dragon combining with his mortal soul and turning him immortal but placing him in a thousand year coma.

When Naruto awoke he was visited by Kami and Shinigami who explained everything to him. The young boy cried that all of his friends had passed on and were now in a place he could not go, however he was given a chance by Kami and Shinigami to become their avatar, working for them by going to various worlds and helping out the hero or heroine that required the assistance.

He jumped at the chance and gladly accepted. To begin with, the two gods began by sculpting a mansion which Naruto would live in alone unless he got himself a lover (or lovers) who wanted to be his. In the mansion Naruto was given access to a library Kami named 'all gods library' as she and Shinigami created it. The library contained a limitless amount of books, and Kami told Naruto that he was free to learn anything he wanted for nothing. She also added in that to read everything that came from his world in this library would take about a million years, something Naruto intended to beat.

He surprised Kami completely by finishing the entire section that fully dealt with his world in just under three thousand years, and mastered everything he had learned in two thousand years, able to go toe-to-toe with thousands of himself and still walk out of a brawl with very little problem. His tenant helped matters the best she could and Naruto saw the dragon woman as a sister and a lover, something she didn't object to being as it gave them much to talk about.

Due to his fusion with the dragon, Naruto found that he was no longer human. He had become a full dragon, capable of transforming into one whenever he pleased and able to transform back at will. His sister, who christened herself Keiko, could do the same as well seeing as though she was out of the seal that no longer existed on Naruto's stomach. She had Kami to thank for that although she could still fuse into him whenever she wished.

Naruto found working for Kami and Shinigami both fun and enjoyable as all he had to do was go to various worlds that they overlooked and keep things in check and helping out the main dude or dame complete their mission. Naruto had only been to one world so far, where a red haired teenager had travelled through time with people from the present, past and future had to defeat a beast that would destroy most of the world and leave it for dead.

The team, with Naruto's help and advice, prevented the event from happening by wiping it out upon its waking day, saving the planet from total annihilation. After the fighting was all done, Naruto left the world saying a permanent goodbye to those he had grown close to, although he gave two of the girls a kiss which caused them both to faint, despite the first being a scientist having a brain that could far surpass his in some areas and the second being from the distant past with strength that would make most men jealous.

"I wonder how they're doing now..." he said as he entered the kitchen, a wondrous smell entering his nostrils. He looked over to the stove to see his sister happily working away, cooking a delicious meal for the two of them.

Keiko stood at an impressive six foot, five inches shorter than Naruto's height. She wore a pair of dark green shorts with a green t-shirt to match her bright neon green hair. Her body was perfectly toned and she sported double D breasts underneath her top. Keiko loved her little brother, and always slept with him and got her share of fun when she was in the mood, usually once every couple of months which would last for a few days.

"Little brother." she said with a smile as he took a seat at the table, relaxing from his exercise. "How was your training?"

"Tough, but worth every moment. My stamina is slowly becoming what it used to be." Naruto replied earning a very perverted giggle from Keiko. Naruto shook his head, knowing Keiko would always think of every possibility including perverted or give the most unusual answer she could. "Keiko, it's been eight months since our last session. You said I'd have to wait two more weeks unless we go to a world by orders of Kami."

"Very true." Keiko replied as Naruto stood up and walked over to her. Keiko turned around and was instantly in Naruto's firm arms, his hands making themselves known on her rear underneath her clothing. "Ooh..." moaned the dragon girl before they kissed, Naruto enjoying the position he was currently in.

Keiko's toes curled in his grip and kiss alone, and couldn't wait for the next two weeks to come so she could get into his pants and have her prize that belonged to the only one she did love. Keiko could never get pregnant due to a very unique condition that she had, although that didn't dispirit her as she stated once to Naruto "if I can't get pregnant, then I just have to have as much sex as I can" and Naruto didn't object to it.

Before they could continue their pleasure the pan behind Keiko began hissing, Naruto letting go of his beautiful lover and letting her get back to cooking the dinner. "Anything of interest going on?" Naruto asked as he sat down at the table.

"Kami wants to see us once we've eaten. She's got another world that is going to need our assistance." Keiko told her lover as she began dishing up the dinner she was cooking. Naruto didn't look surprised; in fact he looked somewhat happy and a little excited.

"Yes! A world to cause some havoc in." Naruto stated with happiness in his voice as Keiko placed the dinner in front of him along with a knife and fork. "Thanks Keiko, it looks absolutely delicious." The two began tucking in, the conversation being placed on pause while the two dragons filled their stomachs with the dinner that Keiko had done for the two of them.

After the two finished their dinner Keiko placed everything in the sink and summoned a shadow clone who got to work on the dishes as the original and Naruto left the kitchen to go get changed and in Naruto's case, take a shower. "So where do you think Kami will send us?" Naruto questioned as they entered the bedroom, Keiko walking over to the wardrobe on the left hand side of the room.

"Don't know but I can't wait though." replied the dragon woman as Naruto stripped off and got into the shower that was built into his room, hidden from view by a wall that also held a couple of towels. "A chance to get out of here and have some fun in multiple ways." She added as Naruto turned on the water for the shower.

"Neither can I. Ahh...just what I needed after a hard day's work." Naruto stated as Keiko walked out of the walk in wardrobe a few moments later, holding multiple variations of green and pink clothes.

"Hey bro, what colour should I wear? Pink or green?" she threw the outfits on the bed and began looking at them as the running water stopped and Naruto walked out, a towel around his lower body and a puzzled look on his face.

"Hmm...go for pink but choose something for fighting. There's a good chance a battle or two will require us to stand in and help out." Keiko nodded as she walked past Naruto, her hand slapping his bum cheek causing him to grab his sister and bring her into a kiss, making her toes curl and her to moan in deep passionate bliss. "You know if you touch me there you get kissed deeply." Naruto warned her as he broke apart, Keiko grinning like a little girl happily that she had gotten away with something big.

"I know about your sensitive spots little brother, and I intend to get as much action as I can out of you while we're on the job." Keiko giggled as Naruto walked over to the walk in wardrobe, the clothes on the floor exploding into flames and burning to nothing, as if they were never there. _'You have no idea what you're in for little brother.' _Keiko thought sadistically as the girl headed to the shower, stripping off and climbing in to get herself cleaned up.

Ten minutes later

Naruto and Keiko walked into the palace of the gods, seeing Kami and Shinigami sitting there waiting for them. Only a god or an immortal had permission to visit Kami and Shinigami without being subjugated to the gods laws, and even then the spirit would have to be either a servant of the god in question, or be given special permission to see them.

Kami was a goddess that overlooked heaven while Shinigami was a god that overlooked hell. The two worked in tandem with and against each other to make sure that worlds had a balance of good and evil, although many times there was more evil than good however sometimes the opposite was true.

Kami smiled as Naruto and Keiko walked into the room. "Naruto, Keiko, I am glad you have arrived. I have a job for the two of you." she told them as she stood up. The goddess wore a gold robe and had bright golden blonde hair which went down her back, stopping somewhere around the middle.

"Lady Kami, lord Shinigami." Naruto addressed them, giving a very polite bow as Shinigami stood up, the skeletal being holding his infamous knife in his left hand and keeping his other hand free. "It is a pleasure to meet the two of you."

"Likewise kid." Shinigami replied with a devilish smirk. "As my sister stated we have a job for the two of you." Shinigami motioned for Kami to continue, the heavenly deity nodding.

"As always another world has gone into a crisis, requiring your assistance to sort out the matter. The world is more a giant continent that has yet to see the developing world so it hasn't yet advanced into technology or advanced weapons." Kami allowed a smile to grace her face as Keiko began kissing Naruto, intent on getting into his pants. "The world however can use the art of magic, therefore chakra users are present yet do not know how to use it yet."

Naruto and Keiko instantly stopped kissing and turned their full attention to the deities in front of them. "Go on..." they both said in unison, their interest now collected by Kami.

"Various people down there can use chakra related abilities like the simple clone technique and the chameleon technique however there are very few skills outside of that. The villain you will eventually be going against wields a deep and dark power that has a mere fragment of my brother's power, so you'll need to exercise caution." Warned Kami, Keiko giggling as she fused with Naruto and appeared in his mindscape.

"I see. So any hindrances on my abilities or am I dancing mad this time?" Kami simply smiled, Naruto easily getting the message that he was allowed to go all out. "Awesome. Kami, you're beautiful as always. Shinigami, you're badass as per usual. Time to get on with my job." Kami and Shinigami both gave him a nod as he walked over to the 'job door' which he opened and walked through, instantly realising that he was falling. "Well, here goes nothing!"

Elsewhere

A young eighteen year old green haired girl was currently relaxing on her bed, enjoying the sunlight that was beaming through her door. The girl lived alone in a small hut big enough for one person to stay in and had the necessary things to last for a few months there.

Her name was Lyn, short for Lyndis and sole survivor of the Lorca tribe, a tribe that was wiped out just over a year ago. She was the daughter of the chieftain of the tribe therefore making her an important person to those who knew the tribe. To others however they only saw her as a woman of very little standing, something which didn't anger her as she had expected it.

'_I wonder what I can do today...' _she thought with a sad sigh as she lay there, wondering how the rest of her tribes people that had also managed to escape from the one night massacre. _'I'm trying not to think of boring things but nothing is available to do.' _she thought with a small sigh.

Before Lyn could question what had happened there was a loud sound from outside, almost as if something hard had just hit the ground followed by a very small quake. "The earth is moving!" she exclaimed in shock as she sat up, everything shaking as the tremor calmed down. "What was all that about?" Lyn got off of her bed and went outside to see a very surprising sight.

Right in front of her was a crater at least three times the size of her hut. Right in the centre was a very big human shaped hole, almost as if someone had fallen from the sky and plummeted deep into the earth. Lyn looked both cautious and curious as she walked into the small crater, keeping herself ready in case she saw anyone that required her help.

Walking into the centre of the crater she saw a man she had never seen before in her life. He lay at an impressive height and wore a white sleeveless thick coat with a pair of white trousers and a red sash around his waist. What stood out was the serene look upon his face and the blonde hair that seemed to gleam beautifully in the sunlight. _'By mother earth...who is he to survive a fall from such a great height to cause this?' _thought the girl as she lifted him up, placing an arm over her shoulder and carrying the blonde haired stranger to her hut.

As Lyn placed him gently down on her bed she heard him mutter something that she couldn't understand. _'What did he just say?'_ she thought as he stirred slightly, Lyn placing a hand on his head to make sure he was in perfect condition. _'That's really odd. He is not unwell in the slightest. Truly a miracle he survived.'_ She backed off and turned around, not noticing the blonde haired man slowly opening his eyes.

"Uhh..." Naruto moaned as Lyn turned to face him, the green haired girl looking at him with a smile.

"Are you ok?" Lyn asked curiously as Naruto sat up, taking a moment to identify where he was. "I found you outside, in that, um, giant hole in the ground."

"And you brought me in here?" Lyn nodded, wondering what he meant. "Thanks I guess. Who might you be?"

"I'm Lyn, sole survivor of the Lorca tribe. Who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, random person who fell out of the sky and cannot remember how he got up there in the first place." Lyn giggled at his words as the two suddenly heard things from outside.

"Stay here." She said seriously as she went out to look, Naruto getting to his feet and stretching a bit to relieve the small tension. "Bandits!" Lyn stated in shock as she walked in, looking a little afraid. "There are four of them! I have to stop them or they'll terrorise the towns." She seemed to be talking to herself more than Naruto. "I don't mean to ask too much, but can you fight? There are four of them and I won't be able to defeat them by myself."

"Of course I can." Naruto said with a warm smile. "When you see me in action, don't be too surprised." Lyn followed Naruto as he walked outside, the four bandits seeing him and instantly giving a battle cry. Lyn looked fearful as one shot towards him, Naruto smirking as he raised his axe intent on killing him. Before Lyn could say anything Naruto evaded the attack and slammed his fist into the bandit's face.

Lyn stood there in utter shock as the bandit went from his location to a very far distance away from them in one strike, Naruto remaining impassive as the other three charged him, attempting to make mince meat out of him. The three axes swung at the same time, Naruto flipping through the attack space and sending another flying with his foot. "Feel free to join in." Naruto said loudly, Lyn shaking her head and drawing out her sword ready to strike.

Lyn darted forward as the last two turned around to face Naruto, who jumped into the air and dodged their strikes. He smiled as Lyn cut one down and the other turned around, his axe hitting her blade with such force that the bandit dropped his axe, which was a big mistake as he fell to the ground, his head rolling away from his body. Naruto landed safely as the last two bandits that had been sent flying charged angrily, intent on killing them. "They never learn."

Naruto took the first as Lyn engaged the second, both bandits being killed within seconds. "You're really skilled, especially being able to defeat them with just your bare hands." Lyn said to Naruto as he smiled. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I mostly taught myself with my techniques and skills and I trained with them furiously, constantly seeing the strengths and weaknesses of my moves." Naruto explained as the two headed back to the hut, Lyn looking thoughtful. "You're not too bad with the sword either. You want to spar?"

Lyn gave him a surprised look. "Not today, I'm a little tired for some reason. How about tomorrow?" Naruto gave a nod and the two headed indoors, Lyn wanting to know more about her companion but knowing it wasn't unfair to ask about their private life. However her attention was caught by the amount of food she had, which was almost all gone much to her surprise and disappointment.

"Fair enough." Naruto took a seat on the ground as Lyn sat on her bed, the Lorca girl relaxing as Naruto began to think about various things. _'Ok, from Lyn's general attitude she is trusting of people and very kind.' _he thought as his stomach gave a small rumble.

"Hey are you hungry?" Lyn stood up as Naruto nodded, knowing he needed something to eat to keep his stamina up. "I've got some meat and water if you want it."

"I'm not really that hungry." Naruto's stomach however spoke otherwise as Lyn smiled. "I guess I've been caught out." the Lorca girl grabbed a bag by the wall and walked outside with Naruto following her to the side of the crater right next to the hut where she began sorting out a small campfire.

"Wait a second; you can't make a fire without putting a ring of rocks around it!" Naruto pointed out, Lyn stopping and looking at him confused. "What if a small fire broke out? The grass would let it spread." Lyn's eyes widened as she realised his words, Naruto heading into the crater to pick up a few. Grabbing several small ones he jumped back out of the crater and leant down, placing them around the small campfire. Unfortunately for Lyn, she was having no luck in starting up the small fire. "Allow me." Placing two fingers in an upright position Naruto focused his chakra and created a small flame on the tip of his fingers, which he dropped into the circle of sticks and grass to begin the fire.

Lyn watched in sheer amazement as the fire grew into a gentle flame, crackling with the wood. "Wow. How did you do that?" questioned Lyn as she busied herself with the food, placing it on a stick and letting it cook.

"It's a family secret, one I'm not allowed to reveal." He lied, Lyn giving a face of understanding as he sat down on the grass. "So tell me a bit about yourself." Lyn turned the meat and looked at Naruto.

"There's not much to know really. I was born on the plains and I grew up with my parents until several months ago when we were attacked by bandits." Her face hardened. "The attack only took one night. They killed...everyone, even my parents. The survivors...there were only ten...no, less than that..." she looked furious as she tightened her grip on the stick the meat was on, Naruto watching her dark expression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Naruto spoke, Lyn shaking her head and becoming happy again.

"So tell me about yourself, if you remember anything." Naruto smiled at her small joke, although by her expression she didn't get it.

"Don't really remember much. My mum and dad I never knew, and my adoptive parents weren't much better. Only real memory I have is being thrown out of my home at eight years old, having learned their secrets fully against their will." Naruto knew he was lying, but sometimes a lie to get further would be better than telling the truth.

"My goodness..." Lyn stated in horror.

"It gets worse. Wherever I went, I was treated as an outcast. No-one in the village I lived in would take me in, so I was forced to fend for myself which wasn't hard considering the skills I learned. When I turned nine the village was attacked and destroyed, by troops or bandits I don't remember, and I survived and began travelling. Over nine years I travelled and fought many people, never taking lives but only defeating those that believed I was a weakling."

Lyn looked horrified. _'He's been through so much, beyond what I could ever imagine to go through. Not even my tribe would be so inhumane to do that to one of our own.' _"Naruto I'm so sorry for the events that have happened to you. If only I'd have known I wouldn't have asked."

"Don't worry about it Lyn. I'm a stronger man because of what I've been through." He gave her a smile. "And is that meat cooked or are you trying to burn it?" Lyn turned to the meat and pulled it out of the fire, using a small knife to cut it up and serving it with a few herbs and spices. "This is quite nice." Naruto stated as he took his first bite. "I never thought you'd be such a great cook."

"T-thanks." Lyn said with a blush as the two tucked in, eating in complete silence except for the sounds of munching and nibbling. Her eyes watched as Naruto ate the meat from the stick, not even worried about the small bits of bone inside of the meat much to her surprise. "Do you have any friends or family?"

Naruto paused as he finished his bit of meat with a slight smile. "I do. I know a girl called Keiko, who travels and often follows me. Chances are she'll be here in the next either day or after that." Lyn gave a look of understanding.

"Do you...love her?" asked Lyn, hoping to not strike a nerve.

"I do. Keiko I see as a sister and a lover at the same time, as she's been there with me since the village burnt down. She also happened to know the basics of my family secrets and we began learning how to use them together." Lyn gave Naruto a nod of understanding as he stood up, looking at the sunset. "It's getting a bit late. Shall we get some rest for the evening?"

"Y-yeah." Lyn stood up as Naruto summoned a ball of water from the air and dropped it on the fire, a loud hissing breaking the silence as the fire was completely eliminated. "Hey Naruto, we need to go get some food tomorrow ok?" Lyn told him as they headed into the hut.

"No problem." Naruto took a seat on the edge of the bed and looked around, noticing various items for a single person to live with including a few changes of clothes and another iron sword. "Oh Lyn, Keiko might be here later so I'm going to stay up."

"Of course!" she said behind him as Naruto felt the quilt shuffle up, indicating she had climbed into bed. Standing up Naruto headed outside to do some exercise as Lyn laid there, thoughts running through her head about the man. _'He is really handsome and rather cute, especially with his hair. I wonder if he loves her deeply or just as brother and sister?'_

As Naruto stepped outside the tent he felt the wind on his face and quietly began to focus his chakra, concentrating gently as he wrapped it around himself. Before he had a chance to do anything a flash of green in front of him blinded him before he was taken to the ground by a very familiar girl. "Hello Keiko."

"Big brother!" she said happily as she kissed him, Naruto returning it warmly. The two got up as Keiko jumped into his arms, Naruto carrying her out of the crater with ease and setting her down. "Let's do some sparring. I need to loosen up a bit."

"Sure thing." Keiko took a few steps forward and spun around, both of them going into different fighting stances, ready to spar at furious levels. "Pure taijutsu or all out?" Keiko gave an evil grin, indicating it was an all out fight. "Fine by me."

For a second, neither of them did nothing. Then, like lightning, they were gone. The two reappeared in a freeze frame, Naruto with his fist extended out and missing Keiko by inches before they disappeared again. Like lightning their battle erupted, the two teleporting around the field at speeds no human could ever read.

Dodging a kick aimed for his neck Naruto went in for a punch aimed for Keiko's stomach which she jumped over and used the momentum to go straight into a grab, wrapping both of her legs around Naruto's neck and throwing him into the air. Landing safely Keiko spun around and concentrated chakra into her fist, doing a five-forty and ploughing her fist into the descending Naruto who was sent flying.

'_Impressive Keiko.'_ He thought as he self righted and stood a good distance from her, knowing it would be a while before he got himself back to his original fully battle ready state like he was in the previous world. Naruto gave Keiko a nod as he blurred out of sight and slammed his fist into Keiko's gut, the girl taking the blow but feeling almost nothing from it. "We're not getting anywhere are we?"

"No. Let's go to the next level." Naruto smiled as he vanished and slammed his fist into Keiko's back, reinforcing his punch with a flick of his chakra to empower the strike. Keiko arched back before spinning around and the two going into a rapid blow exchange.

Naruto and Keiko had five levels of sparring. The first level used pure taijutsu and nothing but, negating the usage of chakra completely. The second level stuck with taijutsu but they now used chakra to empower their strength and speed, allowing them to move faster than sound and also hit considerably harder than usual. The third level employed ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu and also took the fighting to a whole new level, the two going further with chakra than the second level and neither of them holding back as much. The fourth level allowed them to go mostly all out, using everything in their arsenal of skills and techniques to win a spar. Forbidden techniques weren't permitted in the fourth level and the two would always take a spar to level four and no higher. The fifth level permitted them to use everything they couldn't do at level four.

A general spar between Naruto and Keiko would go on for several hours before they would call it quits. However they would go on longer if either of them needed to get back in shape or try something out, which would usually leave the other either in a crater or barbequed well.

"Hah!" Naruto called out as their fists and feet continued to slam against each other's in a close combat dance, neither of them gaining the upper hand on each other, although they weren't trying to get an upper hand in the first place. Keiko smiled as she grabbed his hands and wrapped her legs around his, pushing him to the ground with her on top of him with a very perverted smile. "I know you're eager to get into my pants but you'll have to wait until we find a bed or a quieter place. The last thing I want is for Lyn to wake up because of our time together."

"I know." Keiko let go of her lover and bent down, kissing him on the lips gently before they began kissing each other furiously, Naruto running his hands down her back before planting them on her backside with a firm grip, turning the dragon girl on. "Mm...That's good..." she moaned after the kiss was broken before going in again for a furious battle with her tongue against his.

After a good kissing battle which Keiko lost miserably, the two stood up and got into stances, ready for round two. "Dance!" they cried as the fight resumed.

The next morning

Lyn awoke slowly, feeling the comfort zone of her bed all around her. "Mm...that was a good sleep..." commented the female as she sat up, looking around for the blonde haired man. "Naruto? W-where are you?" she asked a little tired as she got out of bed, seeing everything the same and having a feeling that he was outside.

Lyn's eyes widened to extreme lengths when she stepped outside. All around the entire field looked as though something had completely destroyed everything there. Various rocks lay everywhere with the lake completely destroyed, and the ground now inaccessible for horses and other mounted riders to traverse. _'By father sky and mother earth...what infuriated him so much to cause so much destruction?'_ she thought as she looked around, noticing someone standing on top of the rock formation.

The figure jumped down and Lyn easily recognised the blonde hair. "Naruto!" she exclaimed in a surprised voice as he walked towards her. "Did you cause this much destruction?"

"Yeah. Actually it was me and Keiko, who turned up about two minutes after you fell asleep. We've been out here the entire night kicking the crap out of each other." Lyn's jaw dropped and Naruto was sure if it could hit the floor, it would've done so. "Did you enjoy your sleep?"

Lyn picked her jaw up from the ground. "Yeah. Who's that?" Naruto whirled around and saw a very tired looking Keiko climbing out of a small crater. "Is that your sister figure?" Lyn was very surprised to see she was looking tired and slightly beaten up but nothing too bad.

"That's her. Hey Keiko, you feeling tired?" the girl wrapped herself in his arms much to Lyn's ever so slight jealousy and then kissed him, Lyn feeling happy for them but also a little jealous.

"I'm fine. So brother, what's happening today?" Naruto gave a shrug as he turned to Lyn.

"Aren't we supposed to be going to get some food?" Lyn gave an approving nod, Keiko smiling. "Shall we get moving? I highly doubt the day will wait for us." Lyn gave another nod and the three of them headed off, passing by the hut and heading to the nearly town, which was approximately half an hour's walk.

For the entire duration of their journey to the small city, neither of the three spoke. Keiko had jumped onto Naruto and was holding onto him as he walked towards the city with her in one arm, her legs wrapped around his waist while Lyn walked the other side, keeping up with them and remaining quiet. Her mind however was full of thoughts about the various plainspeople who had escaped the night of the attack.

"Hey Lyn, is this the town?" Naruto's voice got her out of her thoughts as they arrived at the entrance, a set of stone walls making up the entrance to the small village. She nodded as they entered the small village with various people walking around, going about their daily activities. "So we need food and water and also some supplies."

"Yeah. I'll go get the supplies ok?" Naruto nodded as Lyn headed up the road, the blonde haired boy pulling out a flute and beginning to play gently. People who were all around paused to listen to his warm tune, listening to the slow warm sounding melody that entered their ears and filled them with a sense of inner peace.

Naruto's flute playing caught the attention of two knights who happened to be passing by, one of them wearing green armour and the other wearing red. Their horses that were with them both stood next to them, their chestnut brown skin gleaming warmly in the sunlight. They stood there, letting the gentle melody that Naruto was playing float through their ears and smiled to the various notes he was hitting.

"Good playing brother." Keiko told Naruto as he finished, earning him some money from a few villagers as the green armoured rider came over to them. "Yes? How can we help you?"

"Such a beauty!" he stated to Keiko, the girl looking slightly surprised as Naruto placed away his flute and saw Lyn walking out of the shop as the cavalier's companion came over to sort out his companion. "May I have the honour of your name?" Naruto gave a look of disbelief as her expression went dark.

"Sain! What have I told you about your attitude?" he reprimanded him before turning to Keiko. "My apologies miss. He does this a lot."

Keiko shook her head as Sain continued to ogle her, much to her annoyance. Naruto could easily tell what was going to happen as he began counting down in his mind. _'Three...two...one...'_

As Lyn walked to Naruto's side about to question what the matter was there was a loud scream of pain as the two saw Keiko's leg shoot straight into the green armoured man's privates, making him drop to the ground and clutch his manhood. The red armoured knight stood there with an open jaw as Naruto shook his head, Lyn looking surprised but mentally cheering for Keiko's actions.

"Keiko." Naruto's tone had gone from calm to serious. "Heal him. He didn't know." The girl gave him a very offended pout before bending down and channelling a bit of chakra to her hands, using her medical skill to recover most of the damage done. "Now let's get going." Naruto began walking off alongside Keiko and Lyn as Sain stood up, the red armoured man glancing at Lyn with a confused look before scolding his companion.

As the three left Naruto noticed several bandits glaring at them, one with a scar stepping forward. "That's the girl. Kill her!" Lyn looked shocked as Naruto and Keiko moved in front of her, ready to keep her safe. Before the two immortals did anything a green and red blur shot in front of them, each holding a sword and lance. "Damned knights, always meddling in other's affairs."

Lyn sighed a breath of relief as Naruto and Keiko kept their guards up while the knights nodded. "Then we'll just kill you all!" the bandits scattered to their left, Naruto watching them leave and wait a good distance away from them, a few closer than others.

"Alright, I'm no strategist but I see multiple plans." Naruto told the group, the two knights nodding. "You two knights will take the bandit down there while Lyn and Keiko will take the bandit there. If any more show up, feel free to take them down." both knights nodded and shot to the bandit to their right while Lyn teamed up with Keiko to engage the bandit in front of them.

Naruto smiled as he saw Lyn and Keiko rip the axe wielding man apart with no problems as the other bandit landed a hit on Sain, the man giving a cry of pain as the red knight took him down. "Sain! Why aren't you using your sword?" the man scolded him, Naruto shaking his head.

"The lance looks more heroic." Sain replied, Naruto sweat dropping at his stupidity as the other knight gave him a serious look. "Ok, truth be told, I forgot to buy one."

"Oh you...here, take my spare sword." the red knight took out a sword from the scabbard on his riding gear and handed it to him. "Next time your incompetence could cost you your life!" Sain shook his head as his companion turned his attention to the bandit next in line for his death.

"Allow me to make up for my previous mess up!" he took the sword out and placed the lance away and attacked the next bandit as Naruto moved towards the lead bandit's location, a fourth bandit attempting to get in a sneak attack on Lyn and Keiko but was easily dispatched. "Whoa! I missed?" Sain stated in shock as he missed the bandit and managed to evade the bandit's attack.

"Sain! Are you ok?" the red knight called as he evaded another strike from the bandit and retaliated with a powerful strike.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I missed my target though. How could he have dodged it so easily?" he questioned as the bandit tried another attack only to get Sain's sword in his chest, ending his life.

"Sain, the bandit was hidden in the trees. A branch must've got in your way." The knight's eyes widened in realisation as he nodded, placing a hand on his face where the branch did scrape him. "Make sure to keep your surroundings in check otherwise you could end up dead!"

Naruto shook his head at the two's interaction with each other as Keiko slammed her foot into a bandit's leg, completely shattering his kneecap and everything down from there. His head was soon missing from his shoulders courtesy of Lyn and the two women nodded to each other and returned to Naruto's side, ready to finish today's battle. Naruto gave them an approving nod to finish it and the two teamed up with the knights and shot forward as the last bandit gave them a growl.

He was finished within moments, unable to survive a four way pincer. "Ugh...blasted knights..." he managed to utter out before his last breath left him. Lyn gave a happy look to Naruto as Keiko promptly jumped her brother while the two knights got down from their mounts and stood by Lyn.

"Fantastic work Naruto! That's all of them!" Lyn smiled as Naruto broke the kiss and nodded, resuming it as Lyn addressed the two knights and began speaking with them, Naruto too busy with his kissing contest to pick up on their conversation, although he did catch certain parts of it.

"Um Naruto?" Keiko got off of Naruto with a disappointed look as Lyn got his attention. "I was speaking with the two knights and I learned that I have living family, a grandfather who lives in castle Caelin. If it's not too much to ask would you, um, t-travel with me?" she gave a very light blush as Naruto folded his arms.

"Sure. Keiko and I don't have anything better to do, and you could use some expertise in the sword." Lyn gave him a stare that easily read as 'shut up!' which Naruto laughed at. "You also owe me a spar." Lyn could only smile as the knights nodded to each other.

"I don't believe we've introduced ourselves fully." The red knight spoke up. "I am Kent and this is my companion Sain. The two of us are knights in the service to castle Caelin." Naruto gave him a nod of understanding.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, and I unfortunately fell from the sky." Lyn began giggling as Sain and Kent gave him a very disbelieving look. "Don't ask. Don't know how I got up there or why I was up there in the first place." Keiko proceeded to jump on Naruto, the immortal holding her up with one arm as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "This is Keiko, a sister and also a lover to me. We're not related."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Kent gave a polite bow, whacking Sain with his lance to make him bow as well which he did, albeit reluctantly. "Shall we get moving? We have much ground to travel." Keiko got off of Naruto and the five began their travelling together, Lyn looking back at the bandits with a look of anger and slight sadness before turning her attention to the journey the five were now going on.

"Ah, the wind feels beautiful." Keiko rubbed her hand through her hair as the wind around them picked up, Naruto watching the grass blow in the wind, almost like a sea of green.

"That it does." Naruto replied as the group headed southwards towards their destination, the castle of Caelin. "So Kent, Sain, how long have you been in service to castle Caelin?"

"Six years." Kent told the blonde haired man. "The two of us were often given the same jobs, and we started training together and eventually became friends. Most of the knights would class us as rivals."

"Naruto!" Lyn called out, the group of four seeing her walking to the left. "There's a shrine here that is said to grant travellers safe passage to those who pray at it. Can we take a diversion to pray there please?"

"Unusual for a shrine to be around here!" Sain pointed out. "Although a diverted path won't really hurt." The others agreed with his words as they followed Lyn towards the shrine, Keiko taking a good look at Lyn's rear in the process before diverting her attention to Naruto and responding by jumping on him, Naruto carrying her bridal style with the group.

"Here we are." The five had arrived a few minutes later at the side of a small church, which had several houses southwards of them and a wall around it with a number of mountains to possibly slow down bandits or those trying to flee.

"Hold on." Naruto told the group, listening around. "It's quiet...too quiet for my liking." Keiko gave Naruto a slightly alarmed look as Lyn, Kent and Sain looked around. "Something's wrong, majorly wrong."

"Excuse me." a woman dressed in standard civilian clothing caught their attention. "Are you going to the shrine?" Naruto gave her a nod. "A few bandits arrived not too long ago and are intent on taking the blessed sword by force. Could you please do something about them?"

"Bandits attacking a sacred place! How despicable!" Sain stated as he drew out both his sword and lance, Kent doing the same. "Come Kent! Let us show them why they do not attack a sacred place!" Kent was in agreement as three bandits appeared, Lyn drawing out her sword as she shot towards them with the knights.

Naruto shook his head as he walked past the now dead bandits to the fortress, which would serve well as a small rest point in case one of the group were injured. "Hey Sain! Don't you think it would be a good idea to patch yourself up?" the knight gave an approving nod and shot over to the small fortress and looked inside for the items needed to patch himself up, Naruto returning to the others with Keiko to sort out the problem of the wall.

"We need an entrance through the wall." Lyn told Kent as Keiko was smiling. "Naruto? What are you-" before Lyn or Kent could stop him Naruto slammed his fist into the wall, effortlessly breaking the wall down like it was nothing. "Um...ok, we have our entrance."

"How did you do that?" asked Kent as Sain reappeared, looking patched up and his wounds having healed up somewhat. "Ok never mind, let's take them." Kent and Sain shot in and targeted one bandit who had charged them, easily killing him as a final bandit came in from the front door, Lyn taking care of him as Kent and Sain targeted the swordfighter trying to rip apart the shrine.

"Remember Naruto, we can't get involved that much." Keiko reminded him, Naruto wrapping an arm around his lover passionately. "Ooh...big brother..." she wrapped herself in his arms and kissed him, doing her best to try and best him in a battle of tongue, which she lost miserably at.

One of the main rules set by Kami and Shinigami was that Naruto and Keiko had to help out the hero or heroine of the world they were sent to in any way possible. They could however, by a certain loophole in the deity's laws, take a maximum of three people out of the world permanently and bring them to his side. Naruto spluttered in surprise that he was allowed to do such a thing although Keiko was happy about it, as it meant she got satisfaction from both sexes causing the blonde haired avatar to faint with a slight smile on his face.

Naruto would only do this if Keiko would say yes to it. The blonde haired immortal did not want to hurt her feelings, and even if he did take another woman into his life, he would treat her as his goddess like he does Keiko.

"Good work Sain. Good work Kent." Lyn said warmly as she approached the altar, seeing the bandit at the altar dead. Naruto and Keiko walked up to the altar as the priest, a quite old man dressed in blue robes, came out of the door.

"Your clothing...are you of the Lorca tribe?" the priest asked as Naruto looked at the sword on the altar, curiously looking at the blade.

"Yes I am. I am Lyndis, son of chief Hassar." Lyn replied to him.

"I see. Please step up to the altar. I will allow you to lay your hands upon the Mani Katti."

"Thank you!" exclaimed the green haired woman as she stepped up and placed her hands upon it, only for the weapon to glow. "Hm?"

"Ah, it seems the spirits have found you suitable. Not once have I come across someone capable of wielding the Mani Katti." Naruto watched as Lyn drew the sword from its resting place, staring in sheer amazement at the blade that rested in her hand.

"I...I don't believe it...the sword...finds me worthy?" Lyn repeated as she continued to look at the weapon, taking her leave out of the front door with the four of them following her. "Look everyone...the Mani Katti is in my hands..."

"The blade finds you worthy to wield, probably due to your kind-heartedness." Naruto explained, the trio turning to look at him. "I've read stories about how certain weapons have unique wielders, and become chosen masters of their trade. The weapon finds you worthy because of how kind you were." Lyn could only look confused at his words. "Here's an example. I was a complete stranger to you, yet you took me in and gave me food. If that isn't kindness then I don't know what is."

"Thank you Naruto." Lyn replied with a look of understanding. "Well, shall we press on? We have much ground to cover." The group nodded and continued on their way, Naruto looking at the group with a content smile on his face.

'_This adventure...is going to be damn good fun.'_ He thought with a smile.

**Hello people! Yes this is me with my first fanfic, an immortal's adventure. This story will span nine different worlds and require Naruto's help, gaining himself a number of lovers before he eventually returns to his own. Yes Naruto is going to have a harem, and the people have already been decided for this world.**

**IMPORTANT: something I will say you may do. If you wish to continue with the fic AFTER Naruto has saved the world and left, you are more than welcome to do so. There are a few rules e.g. Naruto cannot return to the world, neither can the lovers he took with him but apart from that, you can go wild!**

**Also, you will get to vote for certain worlds for him to go in to assist in (out of a select amount or a game series (star ocean 3 or 4? For example)) and help out the hero/heroine/villains in that world. Yes Naruto is godlike, and is an immortal (he can die, but he just resurrects moments later) and can do things beyond what others can do.**

**Other notes: I have other planned stories on the way including a Disgaea/Naruto cross (with a majorly fucked up Harem to go with it) DMC/Naruto cross (with a harem but not as big) and possibly various others. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of an immortal's adventure. HAPPY HOLIDAYS PEOPLE!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

The group of five had worked out a plan. By passing through the mountains, they would cut off a few days worth of extra travelling and arrive at castle Caelin a little earlier than planned, provided they didn't run into much trouble. It had taken a good two hours to get up into the mountain path, which was littered with bones and various ruined weapons.

"My goodness..." exclaimed Lyn as they walked into a mountain region. Naruto didn't look surprised, although he knew what to expect having been a shinobi. "What...happened here?"

"These mountains are located outside of the borders. No lord holds power here." Kent explained sadly. Naruto shook his head, walking over to the ruins of a village and looking around. The damage was beyond repairable, and Naruto knew the people who once lived there were dead and had passed on.

"Those...monsters..." Naruto heard Lyn growl. "When I next see them, I...I will not run away. I will break them...like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves. They will pay, every last one of them." Lyn's grip on her sword tightened as Naruto placed his hands together in a prayer. Keiko did the same, Lyn watching them in surprise as her anger faded. "Naruto, Keiko, what are you doing?"

"Saying a small prayer for those who have passed on." Lyn nodded in understanding and did the same, Kent and Sain remaining quiet but bowing their heads. "Find peace, lost spirits." Returning to the group the five headed downwards, only for a scream to shatter the silence around them. "Damn, and to think we wouldn't be having any problems..."

"That scream sounded like...!" Lyn ran through the gap in the wall with Kent and Sain following, Naruto and Keiko following suit. "Florina!" the green haired girl cried as two men were harassing a timid pink haired girl who also had a white winged horse. The moment she saw Lyn she looked somewhat shocked.

"Lyn!" exclaimed the pink haired girl in surprise. "W-what are you d-doing here?" before Lyn could respond the thugs moved in front of her, blocking her from view with a sneer on their faces.

"You happen to know this girl?" one of the bandits stated. "She landed on one of my pals! Pay up ten thousand gold and I'll consider letting her go!" the other bandit sneered as Naruto stepped forward, waiting for the right moment to move. "Well? What's it going to be?"

"How does this sound?" Naruto questioned as he flicked two fingers up and began to concentrate chakra into his free hand, letting his entire hand become covered by electricity that began to sing like one thousand birds in unison. "Chidori senbon." Bringing his hand back Naruto pushed his hand forward and launched a group of small bolts at them, neither bandit being able to move as the technique was too fast for them. In a scream of pain both men fell to the ground, paralysed and unable to move as Lyn shot forward to her friend's side.

"Florina! What are you doing all the way out here?" she questioned, looking both worried and concerned for the pink haired girl.

"I...I wanted to come and visit you, but when I got t-to your hut I saw the entire ground was ripped up and you were nowhere around. I...I thought t-the worst had happened to you." she looked shyly downwards at the ground. "I asked around and learned that you had gone on a journey with two riders, a blonde haired man and a green haired girl."

"And you followed me south?" Lyn asked, the girl nodding. "Florina that was really risky! What if a bandit had caught you? I know how uncomfortable you feel around men." She gave an almost motherly look to her best friend, who didn't reply.

"L-Lyn..." the shy girl replied as Naruto walked up to the bandits who were still unable to move. "EEK!" squeaked the girl as Naruto looked at her puzzled, wondering what he had done wrong. "Um, s-sorry..." Naruto waved it off as the horse walked over to him and began nudging him, Naruto gently rubbing its long mouth.

"Milady! Bandits!" pointed out Sain as a group of them reared their ugly heads, ready to kill them. Drawing out their swords Kent and Sain instantly engaged two as Florina jumped up on her horse, taking her lance as Lyn drew out her sword. Keiko had moved to Naruto's side, ready to support whoever required it.

"Naruto, tactics?" Lyn asked as Sain and Kent killed off their targets and shot over to receive their orders.

"We'll need to help out with the villages first. Lyn, you check out that village and inform them of the bandits. Florina, you fly up and make sure there aren't any others that need informing. Take Keiko with you in case of trouble. Kent and Sain, you two will hit the bandits hard alongside me. Let's move it!" the group nodded and headed off in their directions.

Arriving at the village Lyn saw the streets were empty. "Hello?" she called out.

"Go away!" shouted a man's voice. "We have nothing for you bandits!"

"No wait!" Lyn replied. "We're not with them! We're trying to eliminate them to keep you safe!"

"Stay here everyone, I'll go see what's going on." another voice said as a youth made himself known. He had brown coloured hair with a blue overtop and white trousers. He also wore a brown belt which had a quiver of arrows and on his back was a bow. He also wore a shoulder guard on his left, indicating his bow was used more by his left. "So you're to drive away the bandits eh? Think you could need a little extra help?"

"All help would be appreciated. I'm Lyn. And you are?"

"The names Wil!" he replied cheerfully. "Well then, shall we?" with that, the two left the village which locked itself up as they left.

Florina blushed slightly as she let Keiko off to take care of the bandits while she went to see the village. _'I can do this!' _she thought as she got off of her mount and walked into the village. Just as she was about to announce anything, a young girl no older than she was walked up to her, holding out a bag of money.

"Are you here to drive away the bandits?" at Florina's nod she continued. "Thank you. Please accept this small token for warning us about the incoming threat." She handed the girl a bag of money and walked inside, Florina returning to her horse as the village locked itself up. Placing the bag of money where her vulnerary were located she took to the air and watched as Keiko took down a third bandit as a loud bang alerted Florina to watch one bandit go flying through the wall courtesy of Naruto.

What made the girl blush however were the muscles the blonde haired man had. Watching with a blush as he paused to look up at her she rubbed her face to hide her blush and shot down to help out Lyn in any way possible, though there was really nothing to do as Lyn had taken down the various bandits alongside Kent and Sain.

Fortunately enough Naruto had stopped Wil from launching an arrow at her and turning her into a red stain on the ground. "These bandits are way too easy!" Keiko announced as she crushed the head of one under her foot, Kent and Sain looking a little unsure about that. "Oh look, there's the boss of this group." pointing to a lone bandit holding an axe Lyn held her new sword tightly, ready to take him down.

"You will die!" the bandit told Lyn as she steeled her anger and shot forward, going straight for a direct hit on his stomach, the bandit moving too slow to dodge it and taking the full strike. "Damn you girl!" he roared as he swung his axe at her, missing by inches as she spun around and sliced across his chest, leaving the two open wounds to gush with blood.

Lyn glared as she sliced one last time, striking the neck and removing his head before he could try again. Placing her blade away she instantly turned to Florina, looking relieved that she was safe. "Lyn!" the pink haired girl commented as they stood in front of each other. "Do you remember the Ilia festival where we first met?"

"I do. You're aspiring to become a great Pegasus knight aren't you?" the girl nodded as her horse stood beside her. "Is that what brought you southwards? So you could continue your training?" again Florina nodded. "Florina, I constantly worry for you whenever you're not by my side. What if you'd got hurt? I'd never be able to live with the pain."

"Lyn, I wouldn't worry about her." Naruto spoke up, Lyn jumping having completely forgotten he was standing behind her. "Florina may be a shy girl but underneath that shell I can tell she has a lot of potential." Florina looked at Naruto with a blush as Lyn turned to look at him in surprise. "Anyway, I've said my bit. Let's get moving before it gets late. The last thing we want is to be in the midst of a bandit camp in the dead of night when they're mostly active."

"Yeah." replied Lyn simply as Keiko walked up to the group, pouncing on Naruto who caught her and held her with one arm. Florina was looking at Naruto and Keiko with surprised eyes as she looked to Lyn for an explanation. "Naruto and Keiko are brother and sister in all but blood, so they love each other deeply. While I'm surprised at their interaction, I'm also happy for them." the pink haired girl gave a smile at them as Kent moved up to Naruto.

"If I may inquire Naruto, what was that technique you used where you summoned bolts of lightning from your hands? None of us can do that and yet you do it like its second nature." The man asked him.

"It's an ability that I and Keiko share. We're able to bend elements around us to the point that we can channel them through weapons and do many other things with them." Naruto half lied to him, knowing that many others could do chakra related techniques if they trained hard enough with them and learned what they both knew. Kent looked a little unsure but accepted his answer as they left the mountain region, walking along a dirt path that was taking them southwards to the open plains.

"It's getting late. Isn't there anywhere nearby that we can stay?" Naruto questioned as they hit the bottom of the path.

"There is." Spoke up the archer of the group, Naruto turning to look at him. "There is a place just over in that direction. It's not much but it'll have to do." he pointed to his right, Naruto looking left to see a building in the distance. Naruto looked at Lyn who nodded and the group began heading towards it, keeping their eyes out for any bandits.

As the group arrived at the run down building Sain looked disappointed. "This is it? Surely you jest Wil!" he complained, Kent shooting him a look.

"The bandits keep everything in turmoil around here. We're lucky to find that this place is still standing." The archer told Sain, who looked unhappy at this.

"Sain, this will do just fine." Lyn supported the man. "A roof over our heads is better than no roof at all." Naruto gave Lyn a smile of appreciation, as he had heard that saying many times before as a shinobi. "Well, shall we?" the group gave a nod and headed into the building through a side door, arriving in the centre of the small building.

"Um, excuse me..." spoke a voice from a small room north of Naruto, the blonde turning to look into the room to see a light brown haired woman looking at them. Grabbing Lyn's attention the group looked at her in confusion as Lyn stepped forward. "h-have you seen this man...?"

Placing a picture to Lyn she looked at it, Naruto looking over her shoulder. "No we haven't sorry. Who are you?" the woman took back the picture and looked down.

"I'm Natalie. I come from a small village not too far from here. I've been looking for my husband Dorcas, but I've not-AHH!" she cried out as she dropped to her knees, Naruto instantly seeing that she had an infection on her leg, one that he had read about and had dealt with in the past. Naruto shared a look with Keiko before passing by Lyn and bending down at Natalie's side. "w-what are you doing?"

"We've seen this type of infection before, and we've both been able to cure it completely." Keiko assured her, Natalie gasping in amazement. "All we ask for you to do is not move too much. Naruto, you know what to do." Naruto nodded as he activated the diagnostic jutsu, used for checking the body and ran his hand down her infected leg.

"The infection is mainly in your lower leg, but its spread to the knee. Nothing too big, this'll be easy to heal." Going through two hand seals he smiled. "Medical secret art, hands of heavenly healing." His hands glowing a brilliant mix of white and green he began rubbing the infection and instantly it began to subside, Natalie gasping in amazement as she felt her leg healing up from its weakened state. "It is done. The infection is no longer there." Naruto confirmed as he finished his technique, Natalie looking at her leg to see that the infection had finally gone.

"Thank you...thank you ever so much!" Natalie told him as they got to their feet, Naruto giving her a smile. "The medical bill has been so big with this injury. Now that it's gone I can finally live my life!" Natalie gave Naruto a hug that he returned as Lyn looked happily at the girl.

"Milady! There are bandits outside!" Sain stated as he drew out his sword. "What are your tactics?"

"Natalie won't be able to fight. Lyn, take the opened wall that we came in from. Kent, Sain, take the front. Wil, Florina, be ready to assist the knights if things get a little hectic. Keiko, you guard Natalie. I'll go with Lyn to keep the wall guarded." The group nodded to Naruto's tactics and moved into position.

"Hey Naruto, doesn't he look familiar?" Lyn asked as she pointed at the man holding a handaxe. Looking to the person Lyn indicated to Naruto instantly saw him as the person from Natalie's picture, and gave her a nod. "Hey! Is your name Dorcas?"

The man paused for a few seconds. "...how do you know my name?" he asked as Naruto kept his eyes peeled.

"Natalie told us. What are you doing with these bandits?" replied Lyn. The man looked down for a second, as if ashamed of something.

"I need money...money to help my wife's childhood injury." He looked slightly sad. "I'd do anything to earn money around these parts...even work for bandits..."

"Do you really think that's what the girl we're protecting would want?" Naruto spoke, getting the man's attention. "We're protecting Natalie who came all this way to look for you." his eyes widened in disbelief. "Trust me when I say that we're keeping her safe. So tell me, knowing that your wife is inside this building being protected by us, what will you do?"

"Join you." he spoke immediately as a bandit attempted to make a sneak attack, only for a well thrown axe to sever his head off and return to Dorcas' side. "And I will repay you for this." walking over to the dead bandit he picked up his axe and gave them a nod.

"Alright. Dorcas, you head inside and get the pink haired girl to cover this wall. Lyn, you start heading south and I'll send Kent and Sain to support you." Lyn nodded and began heading south while Naruto headed inside with Dorcas to see Wil, Kent and Sain fighting off the bandits with relative ease. "Guys, Lyn's going for the bandit leader. Kent, Sain, you go support her. Wil, me and Keiko will take the front door. Florina, you take the side entrance. Dorcas, you guard your wife."

"Finally a chance for some action!" Keiko announced as Dorcas saw his wife and instantly shot to her side to talk to her. As Kent and Sain were about to knock the bandits down and ride out the sound of a wall breaking down got their attention on the other entrance. "Wil, take them down!" two bandits instantly shot inside, the first going down with a well placed arrow shot and the second dropping courtesy of a handaxe belonging to Dorcas. The last archer fell to two arrow shots but managed to hit Wil in his leg, rendering him immobile as he cried in slight pain.

"I'll be alright!" he gave Naruto a nod as Kent and Sain charged out, the immortal duo taking down the bandits that were running into the building with various hard hits and well struck blows. Within moments they were all dead or dying and it gave Keiko a chance to head out and find a few more bandits to kill while Naruto decided to stick inside in case any more bandits tried to get into the walls.

He needn't have worried as he heard a yell from a bandit stating that their leader had fallen, and the bandits had begun to pull out. "That's it! We've won Naruto!" Lyn stated happily as she returned to the run-down building with everyone else, Florina looking a little beat up but nothing too bad as Keiko walked in, looking very disappointed.

"Thank you." Natalie spoke as the sun began to go down. "Thank you ever so much for healing me of my illness and helping my husband." Dorcas picked up his wife bridal style and gave her a kiss. "We'll be going now. Take care."

"Hey Dorcas." Naruto spoke discreetly to him, getting his attention as the group began preparing for the night ahead. "Would it be too much to ask you to join our cause? We're heading to castle Caelin and could do with some extra muscle."

"Of course. I will be back in the morning." Naruto gave him a smile and they parted ways, Naruto returning to the group to see Keiko giving him a very hungry look.

"Keiko, why are you looking at me like that?" the girl walked up to him and pushed him against the wall, pushing herself onto Naruto and kissing him passionately much to the shock of everyone there. "Keiko, you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to do it like this!" spinning around Keiko was flung against the wall, the girl throwing her legs up and around her boyfriend as his hands ran into her trousers and grabbed her fleshy rear to her delight.

"AHEM!" spoke Lyn loudly, interrupting their make-out session. "While I can see that you two are lovers, do you have to do it in front of us all?" Naruto and Keiko stopped making out and Keiko was let down, pouting in disappointment until Naruto whispered something in her ear, making her grin with extreme delight. "I don't want to know...ok, Sain and Kent, you two will take the watch."

"Change of plans." Naruto interrupted. "Sain and Kent will take watch for half the night and me and Keiko will take watch for the remainder. This way the knights get some rest and can fight better should we run into trouble." Lyn looked a little surprised but gave Naruto an approving nod about his plan as they walked up into the small area where Natalie had been. "Lyn, here." Taking off his coat Naruto handed it to her, who took it and put it on, looking a little tired.

"Florina, you stay with me." Lyn told the pink haired girl who nodded, hiding the blush on her face as best she could from Naruto which didn't happen as their eyes locked for a few seconds before she squeaked and joined her companion's side. The horse that Florina had ridden throughout the battle took its position on the floor and covered the two girls with its wing, Wil being covered on the other side as he took care of his leg.

"Let's get some rest." Naruto told Keiko who nodded in agreement and joined Naruto as he sat against the wall, sitting between his legs with a smile on her face. Keiko remained quiet as Naruto wrapped his arms around his lover, planting his hands on her stomach which Keiko added her own to his, closing her eyes and drifting off in her lover's embrace. "My beautiful girlfriend..." Naruto whispered in her ear, making her moan quietly enough that only he could hear. Closing his eyes Naruto brought his lover closer and fell asleep, her hair the last smell that entered his nose.

"Naruto." Kent said a few hours later, waking him from his slumber. "It's your turn to take the shift." Naruto gave him a nod as he leant down and blew a raspberry on his lover's neck, making her shiver as she opened her eyes.

"It's our turn to take the shift beautiful." Letting go of his girlfriend Keiko and Naruto got up. "You get some rest. You're going to need it for tomorrow." Kent gave a nod as he walked over to Sain's location and the two took a seat next to their mounts, the horses snorting before getting some rest alongside their riders. "Let's go." Keiko and Naruto walked out of the small walkway and both grinned at each other, the same thought going through their minds. "Shadow clone jutsu." creating fifty copies of himself the clones spread out and kept watch as Naruto and Keiko headed outside.

Before Keiko could react Naruto had appeared in front of her and connected his lips with hers, the girl wrapping her arms around him as her toes curled in sheer delight. Rolling over while kissing a couple of times to keep them hidden, Naruto felt a surge of chakra from one of his clones followed by the memories of placing a soundproof seal on the run down building to prevent the others from developing nosebleeds at what they were going to do.

Keiko smiled as she lifted up her top, feeling Naruto's hands extract themselves from her bum and slide up her body to her bouncy breasts. Not even bothering to stop him she resumed kissing him as her breasts were massaged by his hands, teasing her and making her desire him more than she ever wanted. _'Oh yes, just how I want it!'_ thought the green haired female as they continued their session of passion that they had been denied for so long.

Giving his lover one more passionate kiss Naruto trailed a line of kisses going down her neck and arriving at her well massaged breasts. "Stop making-ahh!" she cried as Naruto's lips wrapped around her right nipple, his right hand leaving the partially wet breast and sliding down her body, arriving at her womanhood. "Heaven..." whispered the dragon girl as his fingers slid inside of her, Keiko responding by arching back in pleasure before bringing Naruto as close as she could to her boobs.

'_And you thought you could have your way with me. Looks as though the tables are in reverse now.'_ thought Naruto as he continued his assault on her body, Keiko moaning in pure ecstasy to every second of her lover's touch. _'Now let's see how you like this.'_ pushing his fingers a little deeper inside of her Keiko gave a low cry of sheer bliss and rubbed Naruto's hair, the immortal knowing that his lover was enjoying herself.

"N-Naruto, d-don't stop...t-take me-ahh!" she squealed as Naruto switched breasts, his hands changing places to make up for where he had moved to. "Mm." Responded Keiko in delight as he continued his assault, the dragon girl remembering the last time they had action and knowing she was not going to be disappointed with tonight. "Let me take over." letting go of the beautiful girl in front of him Keiko turned him over so she was on top of him before spinning around and extracting his hardening member from its prison as Naruto pulled down her trousers and pants to reveal both her holes.

Without a second thought both immortal and dragon immortal got to work on each other, Naruto's tongue thrusting inside of her as she took his nearly nine inch meat stick in her mouth. Both wanted to make a sound of delight but instead they remained quiet as they got on with having some action with each other, neither of them caring to the fact the group were only two walls away.

"Naruto, I'm going to cum!" warned Keiko as Naruto felt his meat stick get ready to explode.

"Cum with me." Naruto replied as he thrust his tongue in as deep as he could as Keiko took his meat to the back of her mouth. At the same time both lovers came, Naruto tasting all of the juices his lover had as Keiko swallowed mouthful after mouthful of seed. For a good moment the two enjoyed the gentle sex they had just had, and were now ready to move onto the main course. "So how do you want me?" Naruto asked as his girlfriend turned around, smiling at him.

"I'm on top." Keiko told him in a dominant tone, Naruto giving her a nod as she slowly lifted herself up and positioned herself over his meat before descending upon it, taking his length within him. She gasped as she got all nine inches within her, and took a moment to adjust to her situation before slowly moving up and down in a slow rhythm. "So good..." she whimpered as she continued to enjoy herself.

Naruto groaned as Keiko continued to ride him, intent on filling herself up with his seed until morning. As the dragon girl continued to ride him Naruto began to move in rhythm to her, pleasuring the two some more. After a good minute of sex Naruto's hands shot up to his girlfriend's breasts and groped them, Keiko gasping in delight as he continued to fuck his girlfriend with renewed desire and lust.

"Keiko, I'm going to cum." Warned Naruto as the girl pushed herself down on him, swallowing his dick entirely with her pussy.

"Cum in me Naruto. Fill me up with your seed!" Keiko ordered him as she continued to ride him, feeling the pressure build up in his meat as he gave one hard thrust and a loud groan to indicate he had just released within her, Keiko gasping once again at her womb being painted white. "Mm...that was good..." she muttered as she leant forward, keeping his cock inside of her as they kissed. "Round two?"

Several hours later

Lyn awoke calmly as she felt her companion sleep on her lap. "That was a good rest..." she said sleepily as the girl began to wake up. "Naruto and Keiko were guarding us all last night, so they would be awake." Looking down into her companion's face she smiled at the sleeping girl's calm expression. "Florina, time to wake up."

"Mm...uhh..." spoke the sleeping girl as she opened her eyes slowly, staring into Lyn's face. "M-morning Lyn." She said with a light blush on her face. "Is it morning already?" seeing her friend's nod she took a moment to fully wake up by rubbing her eyes and yawning, Lyn smiling as they got to their feet.

"Morning ladies." Spoke Wil from the door, looking a little embarrassed about something. "You ready to go? Everyone's been waiting for you."

"Really?" replied Lyn, looking surprised. "Sorry for holding you up. Let's get going!" Wil gave a nod as he headed out, Lyn following him alongside Florina while the Pegasus followed them out of the building. As they left Lyn was surprised to see Kent and Sain doing some sparring while Naruto was talking to Keiko and someone Lyn knew. "Dorcas! What are you doing here?"

"I was asked to come along by Naruto yesterday." he replied calmly. "The main reason is payment for Natalie's leg injury." He added as Naruto walked forward.

"Alright you two, that's enough. Kent, you need to work on your strength more while Sain, you need to work on your skill." The two men nodded and returned to their steeds, mounting them as Naruto walked back over to Lyn. "Can I have my coat back?" remembering she was wearing it Lyn took it off of her and handed it back to him, Naruto putting it on as Keiko smiled warmly.

"Now let's get moving!" Keiko announced as they headed on their way, Florina mounting her Pegasus and following them. The group had a decent distance to cover which would take them through a country or two and into unknown territory, and Naruto had learned that unknown territory is always the worst type of territory to enter.

Looking around as they entered a small plain Naruto instantly felt uneasy at being in such a remote place. Keiko felt the same although Wil felt somewhat cheerful at being here. "The borders aren't too far from here." Kent spoke up. "We're not even a day away from them."

"Good." Naruto stated as he heard the sounds of rustling coming from the trees. "Wait here, I'll be back in a moment." Walking into the sea of trees Naruto jumped into one and hopped from one to the next, keeping his ears peeled for anything. As he moved a little deeper he heard...bickering? _'Who would bicker in a place like this?' _he thought as he came upon the two that were arguing.

The first was a girl wearing a dress and holding a staff. However what stood out was the fact that she had pink hair, and it reminded Naruto of Sakura when he was a loudmouthed little brat. The second person was a young man with purple hair that was dressed in simple commoner's clothes. Naruto gave a smile as he heard them bicker pointlessly and argue, although it was more the pink haired girl was shouting her mouth off and the purple haired guy was putting up with it.

Suddenly receiving a flash of sheer humour he jumped from his hiding place to the tree behind the girl, waiting for the right moment to move. As she walked directly underneath him Naruto grinned as he jumped down, the guy not paying attention to either of them as he landed behind the girl quietly. "BOO!" he said behind her, making her squeak before fainting into his arms. "Ok, I wasn't expecting that."

"What the...who are you?" asked the guy as Naruto looked at him curiously.

"Just a simple traveller who is travelling with a group of people." Naruto told him with a small smile. "I take it she was getting on your nerves?"

"Very much so. My name is Erk." Naruto suppressed a snicker by coughing. "And I have a job to escort Serra from here to Ostia." He looked slightly annoyed as if he would rather just get rid of her. "Regrettably, my companion and I are lost. Would it be too much to ask to travel with you?"

"Not at all, as long as you can fight." Naruto saw him nod and lifted the girl onto his shoulder. "Let's go to the others." walking out of the woods a minute later Naruto saw the group looking at him in surprise, possibly because Naruto had slung the girl over his shoulder. "Everyone, this is Erk who is escorting this girl on my shoulder to Ostia. He wishes to travel with us as long as you're ok with that."

"You're a mage?" spoke Lyn in surprise, seeing the book in his hands. "I've only read about mages before and not seen one in action." As Naruto placed the pink haired girl down she began to stir and slowly wake up, looking a little confused.

"Uhh, where am I?" questioned Serra as she looked at Naruto. "Erk! Where are you?" as Naruto helped her to her feet she saw Erk and immediately frowned. "What the hell are you doing, letting this man touch me like that!"

"Will you stop yelling? Otherwise you're going to attract attention to us!" Keiko spoke to her harshly, Serra instantly shutting up. "Thank you!"

"Bit late for that." Naruto told them as a group of bandits began moving towards them. "Lyn, Kent, Sain, Dorcas you four have point. Wil, Erk, stay nearby and target those who try any sneak attacks. Florina, stay with Serra and keep her safe. Keiko and I will support whoever needs it. Let's move people!" the group nodded and began moving into place, the team of four charging forward and engaging the bandits as Wil and Erk began throwing arrows and fireballs at the approaching enemies, setting them on fire or taking them out with perfectly accurate shots.

As the group were slowly advancing Kent took down a bandit only to find that he had an iron sword on him. Picking it up and placing it in his doublet he saw Dorcas take a sharp wound from a bandit and moved to intercept, taking care of the bandit as Serra ran forward. "This won't hurt!" she stated as she concentrated her magical power into her staff, healing up the bulk of his wound and leaving only a small scratch. "There you go!"

"Thanks." he told her as he charged back into the fray, Naruto walking up alongside her with a curious expression upon his face.

"Impressive." Naruto told her as Lyn took down a mercenary with a well aimed strike to his chest. "So you're a healer?"

"Cleric is the proper term for it. All clerics worship and are protected by saint Elimine, whom I worship deeply!" she told him in a proud tone, Naruto suddenly having a memory of Sakura and Sasuke when he was a genin. "Who are you? You're clearly of noble blood..."

"I'll introduce myself when all of the enemies are dead and we have a chance to speak. For now, let's concentrate on the fighting." Naruto replied as an archer prepared to fire at florina only to be silenced by a fireball from Erk. "Stick with Erk and Florina; I'm going to help the front line." Serra wanted to protest but couldn't as Naruto shot along the rim of the lake, arriving at the other side in seconds where Lyn and company were battling the rest of the bandits. "Time to help." Naruto shot forward, using his natural extreme speed to allow an initiative strike upon a bandit with blue hair.

"I am Bug! You will fall before my axe!" he announced himself as he went for an axe slash on Naruto, which missed him. As Bug continued to go for various hits upon the sun kissed blonde Naruto dodged the sloppy axe swings and prepared to retaliate. "Stop dodging so I can kill you!" before he could go for an overhead strike Naruto's fist shot out from nowhere and struck him in the chest, hitting him with such force Naruto felt his heart explode. "Ggg..." he didn't have time to speak as he dropped to the ground and died on the spot.

"Well that takes care of him." as Naruto turned around he saw the bandits dead and the team looking at him with both surprised and amazed eyes. Keiko had a smile on her face at her lover's strength as he walked back towards the group, Serra looking at him with stars in her eyes. "Well, that's that taken care of."

"You are...extremely skilled to dodge his strikes like that." Erk pointed out. "I assume you have had a lot of training to do such a thing?" Naruto and Keiko shared a glance before he nodded, Erk looking over at Serra who looked ready to pounce the sun kissed blonde.

"We are SO travelling with you!" Serra declared, Erk facepalming at her antics as Lyn looked a little surprised by her actions as well. "You are definitely of noble lineage! Who are you?"

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself before you question others?" Naruto replied calmly, the girl responding with a squeak before her face lit up like a Christmas tree, Erk looking at her in amusement and slight hilarity at how badly she was flustering up her words.

"S-sorry, I'm Serra, most devoted student of saint Elimine!" she announced, Sain almost instantly going to her side and ogling her making Kent smack him with the bunt of his lance to stop him. "We're going to get along just fine! Where are we going?"

"We are travelling to Castle Caelin as Lyn there is going to see her grandfather." Naruto explained, Serra looking at the green haired girl giddily before smiling. "And we could always use the extra help while travelling, as long as Lyn is ok with that."

"Of course!" she replied as Florina walked forward to her side. "So Kent, where are we heading next?"

"The next place will be Araphen, where we can stock up on travelling supplies and also buy ourselves some new weapons since our arms are not going to last much longer." He indicated to the weapons they had, which did look a little beat up. "If possible I will ask marquess Araphen for some assistance so the ride will be that much easier for the lady Lyndis."

Nodding in agreement to the plan they began following Kent and Sain southwards, where the town of Araphen came into view. Naruto took a moment to look at the outside and was reminded of the village hidden in the leaves with the castle in the centre and the town surrounding it. Coming back from his musings he found they were outside of the town, where the guards were letting people through without any questions, something that Naruto had not expected in this world.

Walking inside the town the group found the hustle and bustle of the town to be oddly calming, despite the fact they lived in a heavily bandit populated region. Naruto himself was also slightly surprised to see various stalls laid out, their goods shown to all who wished to look or even buy from them. "Is it common for this town to have a market on?" Naruto asked Wil, who gave a shrug.

"Possibly but I've never been here before. We could do some stocking up here though, as there are a few weapon shops around." replied the archer as Naruto looked around. "The only problem is though we don't have much money."

"Um..." Florina said behind them, the two turning to face her as she took out the bag of two thousand gold she received. "Would this be of any help...?" she handed it to Naruto who took it and gave her a smile, the blush on her face growing slightly.

"Thanks florina. Ok Wil, you head into the weapon shop and get two swords, a lance and a bow for yourself." The teen nodded as he took the money and walked into the nearby armoury, Lyn looking at their interaction in confusion. "The rest of the money we can use to buy some food and water with." Lyn gave a small frown but nodded in understanding as Kent walked over.

"Milady Lyndis, the marquess has agreed to see us and give us his aid." Kent told her as Naruto walked over to a stall, holding a number of different crests and a few whips on view. His attention was drawn to a green-blue orb that seemed to shine above the others.

Looking up Naruto saw the man eyeing him warily. "Can you tell me what these items do? I've never seen them before."

"Sure." He picked up a ring. "This is a guiding ring, used to promote all magical classes into a stronger class. This is an Orion's bolt, used to upgrade archers. The hero crest evolves mercenaries, fighters and myrmidons while the knight's crest upgrades cavaliers and knights. Finally the Elysian whip upgrades all flying units." He explained, pointing to each one as he explained them. "Finally the earth seal acts as all of them but is worth double the cash."

"Ok thanks. How much are they?" Naruto's eyes glanced to the price tag on each. "Ten thousand gold? Wow, though I suppose it makes sense. It's out of my price tag sadly, so I can't buy any of them."

"That's a shame. If you do earn the money though, come back here. My store will always be open." Naruto gave him a nod and returned to the group.

"Sorry to hold you up, shall we get moving?" Naruto questioned as Wil returned, holding the weapons before handing them out to everyone, the swords to the cavaliers, the lance to Florina and keeping the bow. "How much is left?" Naruto asked Wil as he handed the money to Lyn who took it calmly.

"One hundred and eighty gold." Replied Wil, Lyn looking a little relieved that he hadn't overbought the equipment.

Before Wil could continue a villager shouted out. "The castle's on fire!" Naruto looking up to see that the castle was indeed in flames. Within moments mass panic swept through the town, people running left and right as Naruto knew what to do.

"Keiko, I've got this." in a blur of speed Naruto shot towards the castle, jumping onto a rooftop and running up the side of the building to the shock of everyone present. Making it to the window where the blaze had erupted Naruto smashed through it and instantly saw that guards were trying to douse the flames. "Everyone out! I'll take care of this!" Naruto called, the guards seeing him and leaving. "Ok, too hot here for a water technique. Looks as though I'll have to jump out." propelling himself out of the window Naruto went through two hand seals. "Water release! Violent water wave!" from all around him water suddenly appeared from nowhere and shot into the building, the flames being doused within moments as Naruto fell through the air, spinning carefully and landing on his feet on the ground as the group ran up to him.

"You!" spoke a mercenary as he approached the group. "You're lady Lyndis aren't you? Prepare to die!" as he jumped Naruto prepared to attack him only for an arrow to pierce through the air and end his life, as the bolt hit him straight in the neck. "Agh...guuaaahhhh!" he cried as he dropped to the ground dead, a man riding a horse appearing in Naruto's view.

"Who...who are you?" Lyn asked as the hooded rider came up to them.

"I am Rath of the Kutolah." The newly introduced Rath spoke, Naruto noticing his tone was very calm and controlled. "I am here to escort you to see the marquess."

"Rath of the Kutolah! I am Lyndis or the Lorca!" Lyn spoke, Rath's eyes widening slightly.

"The Lorca? I was told they were wiped out..." he trailed off, taking in Lyn's remarkable appearance and picturing her father in his head. "You will require my assistance getting into the castle. There are three switches that open up a secret route to the castle."

"A thousand blessings upon you for your aid." Spoke Lyn in a fierce tone as Rath armed his bow.

"And a thousand curses upon our enemy!" he retaliated as everyone prepared their weapons. Moving to Lyn's side he gave her a nod as the various mercenaries prepared to attack them, Lyn looking to Naruto for orders.

"Kent, Sain, Lyn, you three will target the mercenaries. Dorcas, Rath and Wil will support the main attack group. Erk, you stick with Florina and Serra and Keiko. I'll look for anyone who could lend us their aid in getting the doors open." The group nodded to his plan as they moved into position, Naruto heading into an open house to see who was there.

"Ah! Perfect!" spoke a young boy as Naruto stood at the doorway. "I take it you require my assistance in unlocking the doors?" Naruto gave him a frown. "Oh yes sorry, my name. I'm Matthew, a nimble fingers type of person. I can assure you that my services are quite useful."

"Alright kid, you're hired. Let's get moving." Naruto told him as he turned around and left, the boy looking a little surprised but nodding in understanding as he followed suit. "Ok, firstly you'll be required to unlock the doors that are hindering our path. After the first one's done you can stick with me."

"Understood!" Matthew spoke cheerfully as he shot to the door, using his Lockpick to unlock the door before walking inside and stepping on the switch, causing a part of the wall to move and reveal a hidden pathway. "So, I stick with you?" seeing Naruto's nod he followed him into the hidden part as everyone followed suit, a path already open that showed a man standing in front of the last switch.

"Bah, Lyndis and her cadre." He spoke as Naruto walked up to him, having ordered Matthew to loot the place. "When did you arrive? No matter, I shall deal with you." he took a step forward as Naruto began to concentrate his chakra, electricity surging down his right arm with crackling as the group stood there in amazement.

"Lightning release! Thunder wolf hunting pack!" throwing his arm forward five wolves shot from his hand, growling and howling as they charged towards the man, using their amazingly sharp fangs and claws to rip through his armour before mauling him in a bloody fashion, some of the group looking a little green at that. "Bit overkill, but it does the job."

As Naruto stepped on the last switch Matthew beat him to it, grinning as he showed what he had acquired, a thick sword used for cutting through armour and a blue robe. "Well done Matthew. You can give them to Lyn." The boy did so, Lyn taking them and placing the robe on, causing it to shimmer and seemingly fuse with her much to her surprise. "Ok, I didn't expect that to happen. Anyway Rath, before you or anyone questions me about my abilities, I will explain later. You can take over from here."

The mounted archer passed by Naruto and headed up towards the entrance of the castle, the group following him into the castle where the marquess, a nobleman who Naruto could tell either abused his position or didn't deserve to be there, stood to greet them. "That was wonderful Rath. Well done." He complimented him.

"Sir the thanks should extend to Lyndis and company, as they did most of the fighting." Rath told them as Naruto noticed several guards were cleaning up the mess of dead mercenaries and guards.

"Ah, you're...Rath leave us. I would speak with this girl." the rider left them and Naruto could tell he wasn't happy. "As you are aware the mercenaries that were hired came from your uncle meaning my castle has been damaged in your petty dispute." He didn't even spare a second glance when Lyn looked down and apologised. "I thought to lend my assistance to you. Now, I withdraw my offer."

"My lord please reconsider!" Kent attempted to plead but he didn't listen.

"You informed me of a girl of noble heritage but you failed to inform me of her...taint of Sacaen blood." he responded, Naruto growling at him as Lyn gave her an angry stare. "Would the throne of Caelin be so different with this...Sacaen mongrel upon it?"

CRACK!

The man didn't register the next two seconds as Naruto shot forward and ploughed his fist into his face, sending him flying straight into the wall to the shock of everyone present. "You abuse your position and hate the people of the plains when I can tell you are just a coward hiding behind a set of clothing and holding a grudge against those that have done no wrong." Naruto told him, electricity surging up and down his arm that he had just struck him with. "You are lucky to be alive; by now you would be nothing more than a bloodstain on the wall." The sun kissed blonde turned around and returned to the group, Lyn looking at him in both fear and respect.

"Naruto..." Lyn spoke, feeling admiration for a man such as him. "Let's leave. I don't want help from those that would hate my father's lineage." The group gave a nod and took their leave of the castle, Rath looking at the man and seeing his hatred for his heritage before following the group out.

"Lyn of the Lorca." He got her attention as they left the town. "I will lend my bow to your cause. And..." he took out a bag of money and handed it to her. "This will help us out."

"This is...gold! I can't take this!" she attempted to plead as Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded when she looked at him. "Oh Rath...thank you." she placed it on her sash as it began to get dark. "Are there any nearby towns or places to stay?"

"There is a small place to the south-east of here that has a tavern. It will accommodate all of us I know that." Rath informed them, the group deciding it was time to turn in for the night.

"Naruto if you don't mind me asking." Erk said. "Can you show us one of your techniques please? I am fascinated with your abilities." Naruto looked at him before giving a laugh.

"Yeah I don't see why not." He stepped away from the crowd and went through four hand seals. "Ice release!" he brought his hand back as the air began to go cold. "Diamond dust!" launching his hand forward an explosion of ice launched itself towards a number of trees from his outstretched palm, going a good fifty feet through the trees as the jutsu was done. "So what do you think?"

"Amazing..." spoke half of the group at the same time, Dorcas included. Naruto could only grin at them as they continued on their way, arriving at the town before the sun had vanished over the horizon. Finding the inn within moments the group all booked rooms for themselves, luckily enough the place hadn't had any visitors in a good two weeks so everyone save for Naruto and Keiko got a room to themselves.

When everyone headed upstairs they heard Keiko's voice loudly say. "YOU. ME. BEDROOM. NOW." followed by a door slam. Everyone sweatdropped, knowing it was going to be a very long night.

A long night indeed.

(A/N: About damn time I got around to updating this story! Sorry to all whom waited forever for the next chapter, as stuff has held me back from getting time on my computer.

If anyone wants a challenge idea, take a glance at my page for a challenge in itself. I'll probably put up more challenges so check back often for an idea or two.

Please read and review, the reviews always make me smile.)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Morning came way too quickly for Naruto, despite him being up half the night filling up his lover full of seed. Staring up at the ceiling he could feel the body of Keiko lying on top of him, knowing that she was satisfied for the day and would be for a good week or two. "Mm..." she moaned as Naruto rubbed her rear, Keiko giving a moan as she slowly opened her eyes. "Good morning Naruto." she said happily.

"Good morning beautiful." They shared a kiss before Keiko got up, revealing her beautiful body from underneath the covers as their clothes were littered all over the floor. Grabbing her clothes she gave Naruto a teasing dance as she got dressed, moaning and giving him lustful stares that made Naruto get up, his boxers that he had slept in were keeping his hardened meat stick at bay.

Walking behind his girlfriend Keiko pushed her bum into his crotch, giving him a small grinding dance before bending over to pick up her top, Naruto placing his hands on her ass and massaging her bum cheeks to her delight. "Let's get ready; we have a good bit of distance to cover." Naruto nodded to his lover's words before letting go of her to get dressed. He'd wash himself down with a powerful water jutsu when he had a chance so he wasn't that fussed by smelling powerfully of sex, though the room easily stunk of it.

Throwing his clothes into the air Naruto jumped into them, getting himself dressed with expert spins and twirls before landing perfectly, fully dressed and ready for the day ahead. "Wind release! Calm gust!" Keiko called out as a powerful gust of wind blew through the room, freeing it up from the scent of sex though it still lingered slightly. "There, now no-one will know what we got up to last night."

"I think the sounds you were making made it a little obvious." Naruto pointed out, Keiko poking her tongue out at him with a perverted smile. "Don't worry my little dragoness, you'll be receiving the slaying blade soon enough." Slapping her bum Keiko squeaked and pounced on him, Naruto carrying her with one arm as he opened his door to find Florina standing there, looking a little embarrassed. "Good morning Florina."

"M-morning Naruto..." she looked at him with a blush on her face. "U-um, everyone's waiting..." she told them, receiving a nod Florina led Naruto downstairs where most of the people were looking at them. "Sorry e-everyone, w-we're here."

"Naruto." Lyn spoke first as the group looked at him or Keiko. "Next time the two of you have some action; can you please keep it down?"

"Ooh, is someone jealous?" teased Keiko.

Lyn shook her head while mentally plotting ways to get Naruto alone so she could 'talk' privately to him. "No, I'm happy for the two of you. Now that we're all here we can continue on our journey to castle Caelin." As the group stood up Matthew walked in, holding several bags of food and water. "Ah good, we've got provisions for the next week. We'll be able to travel better with these."

"Let's get going!" Serra announced as they stood up, ready to go places and changing the subject before Keiko could attack Lyn with descriptions that would give anyone a nosebleed. As they all left Serra was doing her absolute best to not look at Naruto and Keiko, though she couldn't keep her gaze off of the sun kissed blonde as they made their way out of the town and began heading south, Kent and Sain leading the expedition alongside Dorcas and Lyn.

"Naruto." Erk got his attention. "Once this expedition is finished, I would like for you to meet my mentor. He would be very interested in your abilities." Naruto gave him a nod as a man's shout got their attention, the group watching as he threw out a kid with blue hair, the boy looking both afraid and scared as he looked at the man before running straight towards the group, his eyes closed tightly.

Slamming straight into Naruto who simply looked at the boy curiously he opened his eyes and looked up at him. "Help me!" he spoke timidly as Lyn walked up to Naruto's side.

"What is wrong child?" Lyn asked politely as a group of men appeared, looking directly at the boy.

"Ah here's the brat! Good thing we caught his sister. Alright you, back to Lord Nergal." One of them spoke as he hid behind Naruto, the teen looking at Keiko who jumped off of Naruto and onto her feet.

"Help me! Please!" the boy pleaded as the men moved nearer to the group. Naruto looked at Lyn who expected an answer and gave her a nod, Lyn nodding to the group as he let Keiko down. "Thank you ever so much!" the boy cried as the men halted in their advance.

"So you're going against the fang eh? You fools! You've just sealed your fate!" before the first man could attack them Naruto's fist collided with his head, sending him flying as the other man received Keiko's shoe to the face.

"That shaman looks tough to defeat." Lyn told Naruto as a blonde haired person made himself known. "Who are you?"

"Pardon my intrusion. I am Lucius, a monk on his travels. I could not help but be moved by your willingness to save a defenceless boy." he spoke, Naruto being suddenly reminded of Haku when he mistook him for a female. "Would you like my help in protecting him? I am rather skilled in light magic."

"All help would be appreciated." Naruto spoke, Lyn nodding in agreement. "Ok from what Erk told me he is weak to dark magic users, something we'll be facing. It doesn't look like there are any lance wielders..." Lyn looked at Naruto curiously for a plan. "Ok Lyn, you along with Florina and Lucius will take point. Kent and Sain will support you while Wil and Matthew will back you up. Finally Serra, Dorcas and Erk will stick with the boy for keeping him safe."

"Naruto." Matthew said, grabbing his attention. "There is a village along from here. Should we target it?"

"Yes. You Matthew must get to it as soon as possible and warn them of the impeding threat. Alright everyone, let's move!" the group nodded to his plan and got moving, Lucius moving to eliminate the nearby shaman that had set his sights on Nils. _'Those techniques look similar to my light release jutsu...'_ thought Naruto as Lucius attacked with his book of spells. _'I understand what Kami meant by chakra users.' _The immortal smiled as the shaman fell to the ground dead and Lucius got moving with Lyn and Florina.

"Hey Naruto, what noble house do you hail from?" asked Serra as they passed by a set of mountains where Lyn and Florina had engaged a swordsman.

"I don't hail from a noble house whatsoever, I'm just a travelling jack of all trades who joined up with Lyn and has agreed to help her on the road to Caelin." He replied honestly, Serra giving him an amazed stare. "Why, did I seem that way to you?"

"Yeah." replied Serra as Lyn struck down the swordsman, Florina instantly engaging a mage. "You seem more like a high class person." Naruto laughed at this, Serra looking at him puzzled.

"I'm far from high class pinkette." Serra blushed at the nickname. "I wouldn't class myself as a prodigy either, just a person capable of doing things that only your imagination could dream of." Serra nodded at his words as Florina and Matthew came over to them, albeit for different reasons. "Did you get there?"

"Yeah." the boy held up a bottle of blue liquid. "They gave us a pure water, which helps resistance against magical attacks." He pocketed the water and looked around. "What's next?" he asked cheerfully.

"Assist the front lines and use your stealing abilities to get us items of worth. We'll need the cash to continue once the week has passed." Matthew gave a nod as he shot off to join the frontlines as the group continued to move, crossing over a small mountain and heading southwards where a few shaman had made a stand and were holding off the frontline fighters. "Time to help out." Naruto flashed through several hand seals. "Light release! Heaven's rain!" everyone who heard his name got out of the way as about thirty orbs of light rotated around him before shooting into the air and going suicidal on the shaman, who were too slow to dodge and were very quickly killed by the jutsu, much to Naruto's surprise. "Ok, the light jutsu actually killed them? I wasn't expecting that."

"Why?" asked Serra, who had wide eyes because of what Naruto had just done.

"Usually light jutsu works by smiting them, not summoning little balls of light that proceed to crush every bone in the target's body." Naruto explained, having done the jutsu once before but not seen the actual damage it did. "Ok, I'll remember to be careful when throwing jutsu around senselessly like that." Shaking his head Naruto walked quickly up to the main force, where the boss of the group had engaged Florina, Lucius and Lyn in battle.

Florina looked confident as she shot down at the shaman, launching her spear forward and missing him by inches though it was all she needed to do to get Lucius to launch lightning at him, hitting him as Lyn shot forward with her sword armed and slashed across his robed torso. "Damn you." he muttered as Lyn struck a second time, removing his head with a well aimed slice.

"Sister!" the boy said as he ran past everyone into the castle, Naruto looking at Lyn before following him. "Sister! Where..." he trailed off when he saw that there wasn't anybody here.

"There's no-one here." Naruto told him, the boy dropping to his knees and looking at his hands as tears began to sting his eyes.

"Lady Lyndis, I have just spotted a group of men riding south." Kent told her as they entered the building.

"The lad's sister, they must have her!" Sain added in. "Come! We must give chase!"

"But we'll never make it in time!" Lyn protested as Naruto felt a shadow move behind him, turning around quickly to the surprise of everyone. "What's wrong Naruto?"

"Are you perhaps looking for this person?" spoke a male as he walked into the light, carrying a blue haired young woman that the boy instantly perked up at.

"NINIAN!" he shouted as he ran towards her, the man laying her down gently as the boy worriedly began moving around her. "Ninian, open your eyes please!"

"She will be ok, she has merely fainted." He assured him as he stood up, Naruto taking in his full appearance. He had slightly dulled red hair that reminded Naruto of his mother along with a blue cape with red on the inside along with a blue tunic and white pants and blue boots to finish his clothing choice. "I hope I wasn't intruding. Was I wrong to include myself?"

"Not at all." Lyn replied as she stood by Naruto, Keiko moving up to Naruto's other side. "Who are you?"

"I am Eliwood, son of Elbert of house Lycia. Who are you?" he replied politely.

"Lyndis of house Caelin, and granddaughter of lord Hausen." The newly introduced Eliwood gave her a surprised look. "Is something wrong?"

"My apologies, I did not expect you to be who you are. I have met lord Hausen and I know he did have a daughter, but not a granddaughter. Would you explain your story to me please?" Naruto looked to Lyn, who began explaining her story and chose to zone out to think about a couple of things.

"And that's my story." finished Lyn after several minutes of explaining. "I know it's not an easy tale to believe, I know..."

"No, I believe you." seeing Lyn's confused expression he elaborated. "At first I thought you weren't related to him but now I see it, you have your mother's eyes." Seeing her now surprised expression he continued. "My father and lord Hausen have been good friends for a very long time. Would you need my assistance in the matter?"

"Thank you, but this is something I must do on my own." Lyn told him as Naruto gave him a nod of thanks.

"I'll be in the area for the next few days. If there's anything I can do to help you just say so." Eliwood told her before he took his leave, the female that he had rescued beginning to wake up with a confused look upon her face.

"Nils?" she asked as the boy hugged her. "But...where are we?"

"You're safe." Naruto spoke for him, the blue haired girl looking at him with curious eyes as Naruto felt her aura from just sitting there. _'She's a dragon...'_ thought the blonde as their eyes locked. "There isn't anyone around but us, and we're not going to hurt you."

"Thank you um..." she looked at Naruto shyly.

"I'm Naruto. The lady beside me is my girlfriend Keiko, and the other lady is Lyn who leads the group." Lyn stepped forward to chat with Ninian as Naruto walked off to explore the small castle, Keiko coming with him. The small castle was empty as the place looked more abandoned than anything despite it being in good condition, and Naruto could tell that the bandits that were here had left in quite a hurry. "They were chased out most likely by the looks of things."

"Naruto." Lyn got his attention as he turned around. "Ninian and Nils are going to be coming with us due to their special power." Naruto looked intrigued as Lyn told him that. "They have the ability to sense impeding danger from around us." Lyn looked down. "There's another matter as well...Ninian has had her mother's only memento stolen by those people that rode southwards. Do you think we should pursue them?"

"What do you think? A memento is precious to a person, so of course we're getting it back." Naruto announced, Lyn looking happy at that. "Kent, Sain, those riders that were heading southwards. After them!" he called out, the two looking at Lyn who nodded as Naruto walked to Ninian's side. "Can you walk or will you need a hand?" Ninian tried to take a step but couldn't go anywhere. "Don't worry; we'll get you to a place where you can rest. In the meantime, hang on." Ninian squeaked and blushed as the immortal scooped her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style as everyone left the small fort to pursue the riders that Kent and Sain had followed.

Arriving at a large fortress of sorts Naruto saw Kent and Sain waiting patiently for everyone. "There is a large force inside but the hallways look rather narrow. I am guessing we can draw them down into the corridors and defeat them there with very few casualties." Kent informed Naruto as he placed Ninian down, Nils making sure his sister was ok.

"Ok, from the looks of things this is going to be a challenge. Kent, you'll take the right hall with Wil to back you up while Sain will take the left hall with Erk to back him up. Dorcas, you'll head through the damaged wall with Lucius, Rath and Matthew and make a defence there. Florina, you stay with me, Keiko, Nils, Ninian and Serra. If anyone gets injured they are to pull back immediately for healing. Do not risk your lives needlessly, and work together in a team, not as a lone wolf." Everyone gave a nod and got into position, ready to move on Naruto's signal.

"Whenever you're ready Naruto." Keiko told him.

"Let's move." Naruto told them, everyone heading off to do their required plan. "In the meantime we move forward to help out those who need it." the group gave a nod and moved towards a small clearing where Sain and Erk were double teaming a bandit that was trying his hardest to not get himself killed.

He dropped a moment later as the sound of a wall breaking down got the group's attention. "Hey there's a chest in here!" Matthew stated as he shot in. "Aww, it's a hammer...Dorcas, here. This'll suit you more than me." the big man took the hammer and nodded as the door opened and another thief came in with a shaman and a mage behind him. "Leave the thief to me. Take out the magic users!"

"On it." Rath stated as he targeted the mage, firing an arrow at his shoulder which hit head on as he launched a ball of fire at him. "Damn!" Rath moved out of the way and evaded the fireball as he stringed another arrow, launching it at the mage and hitting him in the neck, leaving him for dead. Just before Rath was going to assist the others he saw the shaman drop dead and the thief fall to Dorcas' iron axe, Matthew giving the group a nod.

"We could use some help here!" the group heard Kent shout, Matthew nodding to the others and the squad moving forward and heading right to assist the knights. Just as they rounded a corner they saw Erk take a harsh wound on his shoulder, making him back off. Before the mercenary could finish him Rath and Lucius both launched their respective weapons at him, killing the Mercenary as Erk nodded to the group.

"I'm going to pull back." he told them, Wil giving him a nod as the second mercenary fell to the ground, dead. Shooting down the hallway Erk found the group and showed them his injured shoulder, Serra moving to take care of his injury. "Thanks Serra." The girl gave him a smile as his wound was healed, the boy giving them a nod of approval. "All that remains is their leader."

"Lyn, that's your cue. Erk, take Rath and Wil and go with her." Lyn nodded as she headed through the hallway, Erk following alongside everyone else. "Everyone alright?" Naruto questioned as Lyn gave Rath and Wil a nod and took off with them, Erk following.

"We're fine." Kent stated as he looked at his weapon. "My sword broke during the last fight so I'm going to need to find one if possible." Before he could do anything Naruto had swept two swords off of the ground and grabbed them both, handing one to him and the other to Sain. "Naruto, we can't-"

"Listen to me well Kent." Naruto interrupted, grabbing the attention of everyone. "If the enemy is coming at you and there's a nearby sword that belonged to another enemy nearby, do you take the blow and die or draw the sword and live?" Kent looked down at his words while everyone save for Keiko stared in amazement at him and his words of wisdom. "Never be afraid to pick up a weapon from a dead enemy. At the end of the day it could be the weapon you get that saves your life."

'_Spoken like a true leader.'_ thought Matthew. _'Lord Uther will want to definitely meet him sometime.' _He thought with a cheery smile as the sounds of fighting caught their ears. Moving quickly the group arrived at the room where Lyn was engaged in a swordfight with a mercenary, both of them fighting on an equal footing with neither of them getting the upper hand.

"I cannot fail." The man stated as he blocked a blow that was aimed for his head. "The consequences are too severe to fail." He dodged a sword strike aimed for his chest and retaliated with one of his own, going for a direct stab that Lyn deflected and countered with a hit of her own, hitting his right arm but only lightly. As he backed off Rath, Wil and Erk launched their weapons at him, the man taking the two arrow shots into his arm but dodging the fireball as Lyn shot forward, slicing him across his chest. "AHH!" he cried out as he dropped the ring, Lyn bending down and scooping it up.

"Hear this!" she began as he activated something inside his mouth. "If you come after them again, your life will be-!" before she could continue the man dropped to the floor, dead. "Poison? He took his own life..."

"This man was no ordinary criminal." Kent said as he stood by Naruto. "He was trained very well by whoever he was with." He looked to Nils and Ninian who looked a little scared. "Whatever reason they're after Nils and Ninian, it can't be good..."

"Either way he's dead. Nils and Ninian, you won't have to worry about them while we're around." Naruto told them as Lyn handed back the ring, Ninian placing it on her finger. "With my mind and skills, Lyn's blade and our teamwork any threat that comes our way will fall." He gave them a nod as Ninian blushed, looking at him slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, let's get out of here. Matthew, get all the weapons from the corpses as we can use them if we run into trouble." The boy nodded and began moving around to collect everything, the group heading out of the base.

"Got everything!" Matthew happily stated as he showed them the spoils, a couple of iron swords, a few iron lances, a book of fire and a few vulnerary which he handed out to the group. "What shall we do about the base?"

"Leave that to me. Keiko, I'm going to do Landscaper. Move everyone a good distance from me." the girl nodded and began moving people southwards, away from Naruto as he flared up his chakra. "Now it's time to go all out. Shadow clone jutsu!" creating exactly ten clones the clones jumped into the air as one grabbed the original and threw him into the air, the others throwing him up higher. "Time to end this!" channelling chakra into his middle knuckle Naruto began a very fast descent. "LANDSCAPER!" he roared as his middle knuckle collided with the earth.

For a split second, nothing happened. Then, all hell broke loose as the ground erupted around him before shooting forward and tearing through the base like it was nothing, burying it under tons of rocks that the mountain next to it had begun to crumble and avalanche, causing a hell of a lot of destruction that Naruto was used to. _'Hmm...only used about a genin's worth of chakra for that to happen.' _He thought as he turned to face the group, everyone but Keiko having wide eyes and open mouths in shock and amazement.

"That was really weak." Keiko told him as he returned to the group, everyone looking at her in shock. "You could've used more chakra for that." She gave a delighted squeal as he slapped her bum, Keiko falling into his embrace.

"Wouldn't have been a point. The result would've been the same no matter what I'd have done." Naruto informed her as he blew a raspberry on her neck, making her shiver and moan. "Anyway I think we're done here. Let's get moving before people find out what has happened." The group nodded as they left, completely missing the pair of eyes that had seen him do what Naruto did.

'_He could pose a major threat to the black fang!'_ she thought as she ran a hand through her hair. _'I must report what I saw.' _she turned around and was gone before anyone had seen her leave.

The sun was shining as the group made their way across the border into Caelin, where they were greeted with a sea of green. "We're not too far from the castle." Kent told them. "If we press on, we could make it within two days worth of travel."

"Two days..." Lyn repeated with her eyes closed. "Hold on grandfather, I'll be with you soon..."

"Cheer up Lyn." Florina told her companion. "If the company see you looking disheartened they'll lose spirit." She told her, Lyn opening her eyes and smiling warmly at her friend.

"Milady Lyn, don't move. I sense danger." Ninian warned, Naruto nodding to everyone as they drew out their weapons. As Sain looked at her in confusion Naruto suddenly felt the wind pick up speed and moved quickly, grabbing Lyn and jumping out of the way of a bolt which was aimed directly for her.

"They've deployed a ballista!" Sain stated angrily as Lyn landed safely with a small blush on her face, looking puzzled.

"Lord Lundgren is getting serious. Deploying siege engines is no mean feat." Kent added in as he looked to Lyn. "A ballista is a long range weapon designed to be used for targeting from a long distance. It's used by archers to target targets from afar."

"Florina!" Sain stated, grabbing the girl's attention. "Don't take to the sky. You'd be shot down quickly." The girl gave a nod.

"What's the safest course of action to take?" Lyn questioned.

"We have two options. Either we use someone who can take bolts like it's nothing to make them waste ammo or I can use my speed and abilities to capture it with ammo." Naruto told them, Kent and Sain both looking to Lyn who gave Naruto an approving nod. "Alright, when I've got the ballista I'll throw up a flare. Dorcas, Kent and Sain will make the main force with Rath, Wil, Erk and Lucius to support."

"Naruto!" Matthew spoke before he could shoot off. "I unfortunately can't join you in this fight. I have some...personal matters to attend to. I should be back by the time you finish the fight as I have to head to the village over there." Naruto looked to the village and frowned, wondering who he could send there.

"Ok Lyn, you'll head to the village and warn them before making your way around. Keiko, stay here and protect everyone else. Let's move!" the group nodded and got into position as Naruto vanished in a blur, shooting southwards between the gorge and past the soldiers before running left, towards where the ballista was located. "So that's the ballista." He said as he shot up to the man on it, birthing a rasengan in his right hand and slamming it into his gut, leaving him for dead as the technique ripped through his body. "Ok, fire release, signal flare." He muttered as he gathered up a small ball of fire in his hand and threw it into the air.

"That's the signal!" Keiko shouted as she pointed at the orb in the sky. The group nodded to each other and got to work, Keiko pulling back to those that couldn't fight to keep them supported. "Florina I suggest you go help out Lyn against the magic users. She'll need your help." the green haired dragoness informed her, Florina nodding confidently and taking to the sky to support her companion with her skills and spear.

"Keiko, may I speak with you in private please?" Ninian asked her, the girl nodding and walking off to behind the nearby shop. "When I'm with you and Naruto I feel...a power that...you two both have that I have." she looked down as Keiko folded over her arms, pushing her assets up a little bit.

"We'll talk it over with Naruto when he gets back. However the answers you are looking for could change your life for better or for worse." The dragoness told her with a tone of confidence and strength, Ninian's eyes widening at the amount of power that she felt from here tone alone. "My boyfriend can sort things out with you better than I can, as I don't want to say or do anything that would damage the bond of love and trust between us."

"Ok." Ninian replied as the two walked back to the group, Nils grabbing her and looking at her for an answer. "Sorry Nils, but Naruto's the one we have to talk to." The boy looked down for a moment before giving her a nod as the person they were looking for walked over. "Oh! Naruto!"

"Yes that's me." Naruto told her, Keiko giggling at the small joke. "We'll talk later. Right now the others could do with some help." everyone present nodded as Lyn and Florina came back, both of them looking a little beat up. Before they could continue Serra had moved in, activating her staff of heal and recovering their wounds back up to full, both of them looking ready for another fight. "Let's go support our allies."

The group of seven began heading south where they caught up with Erk and Lucius, who both looked to have taken a hard wound. Serra was quick to move in and heal them, luckily enough the wound wasn't too deep and the two joined the group. "Dorcas, Kent and Sain are taking the main force." Erk told them. "Wil and Rath are providing accurate long range shots from afar." Naruto gave a nod to Lyn and Florina who shot on ahead with Keiko to assist the frontline, the group of six following them to the ballista where Wil had just finished firing the last bolt.

"The ballista's out of ammo." Wil told them as Rath walked up, holding his broken bow. "Your bow broke? Here, take mine. I've got a spare." Rath took the bow from the cheerful archer and gave him a nod of thanks before the two headed to where the fighting was happening alongside everyone else.

Dorcas had taken a few hard wounds that Serra was quick to move into to help while Lyn had engaged the armoured knight in a fight, Kent and Sain fighting off a soldier each with a little difficulty. "Lord Lundgren...I pray you...hurry with those...reinforcements...you promised..." the knight spoke as he dropped dead several moments later after an intense fight with Lyn, the two soldiers dropping dead from too many wounds.

"That's it Naruto! We've won!" Lyn stated happily as Kent and Sain gave her a nod. "Just hold on grandfather, another few days and we'll be reunited after so long..."

"What's this? You've dealt with the ballista? Nicely done!" spoke Matthew as he appeared from nowhere, slightly shocking Lyn.

"Matthew! Where did you go during the time we were fighting?" Lyn asked him, the boy grinning cheerfully as Naruto and Keiko walked over.

"I went to the village to sniff around for some information. I got some interesting news for my trouble." He explained as Lyn looked at him interestedly.

"Well let's hear it." Lyn told him.

The boy began by taking a step forward. "Firstly about Hausen's illness. He really is unwell as he's been nigh abed for three months." He explained, Lyn gasping in shock.

"Oh no, grandfather..."

"That's not the bad news though." he continued. "A rumour's been going around that he's being poisoned by someone." Lyn's face turned into sheer horror.

"He's being poisoned!"

"And this certain someone...well, everyone's too afraid to mention a name. But they say that when lord Hausen fell ill, a certain noble took over the throne as if it was his own. I fed an innkeeper some coin and he fed me a name." Matthew took a breath of air. "Lord Hausen's own brother, Lord Lundgren."

"How can this be?" Lyn questioned with sorrow in her tone. "They know he isn't the ruler yet they let him get away with it. Why?"

"Fear." answered Naruto angrily. "He's using his power to rule through fear; therefore the word of the common folk means nothing. He's a tyrant and hungers to rule over Caelin, hence the reason why he's trying to make Lyn's grandfather's death seem like an accident. I'm taking a guess at this, but the people that could probably voice against him under lord Hausen have been silenced." Matthew nodded as Kent and Sain looked down at what Naruto had guessed.

"It gets worse..." Matthew added.

"There's more?" Sain spoke in confusion.

"The word going around as of late is that two traitorous knights and a baseborn child have appeared to lay claim to castle Caelin. At least, that's the story lord Lundgren is willing to tell to those who will listen." Kent and Sain both looked shocked at this but Lyn was taking the news the hardest.

"He says...I'm an imposter?" Lyn summarised, Matthew nodding to her words.

"Do you happen to have anything that proves your lineage?" the boy asked, Lyn shaking her head. "Then we're in a spot of trouble."

"We're seen as betrayers of our knightly vows...our word means nothing." Kent summed up. "No, our only option is to see lord Hausen himself." There was a sudden small quake as Naruto slammed his fist onto the ground angrily, causing a very small shockwave. "Naruto..."

"Sorry everyone." Naruto told them. "I didn't mean to overreact like that." The immortal took a deep breath and calmed down, standing up and folding over his arms. "We need to formulate a plan and not one that involves heading directly there. The neighbouring countries would act if they found us out, so we need someone to help us out."

"I've got it! Eliwood. He seemed sympathetic to our plight!" Lyn said to them, Naruto and Keiko both giving her a nod of agreement. "It's settled then. Let's go see Eliwood!" the group nodded in accordance to the plan and began moving back the way they came, intent on finding the young lord and getting his help before the other neighbouring countries chose to act against them.

Several days later

The group were sitting around in the local tavern in a place north of castle Caelin where Eliwood had promised to meet them. Naruto had lost count on how many days had passed, but he guessed it was either seven or eight though Keiko suggested it was nearer to ten.

The week had been uneventful mainly though Naruto had sparred with Lyn and everyone in the group, giving them a chance to see how well they stood against the immortal, although the spar with each person was considered more of a practice fight as Naruto went very easy on them, keeping the fighters on her toes while giving them tips and pointers about how they could improve their skills. Florina unfortunately lost in each battle to Naruto although she technically won one fight when she fell off her horse and flattened Naruto with her lips glued to his, fainting on top of him and blushing so hard when she came to Naruto was sure she was going to pop a blood vessel.

That day, everyone in heaven who watched him laughed for hours at his misfortune, except for Izanami who turned pissy for the day when her 'immortal-kun' was kissing a girl that wasn't her. To shut the goddess up Kami took her to talk in private, though neither refused to elaborate exactly what was spoken although Izanagi could easily guess his sister was learning a few lessons she had missed out on.

The pink haired petite girl had also begun to grow a little more confident around Naruto, doing her best to prove to him that she wasn't weak and under confident. Though she would blush often, her stuttering and shyness were very slowly fading away from her shy shell, and she nearly broke it the previous day by starting up a small conversation with him about what he was going to do once this journey was over to which he replied that he didn't know, though he would either stay with them or do some travelling.

"Eliwood!" spoke Lyn as he walked through the door, looking a little tired but otherwise fine.

"I have just received word from Caelin's neighbouring countries. Tania, Santaruz, Kathelet and Laus have all agreed to remain neutral in Caelin's affairs, this they have promised." He told them, the group looking very relieved and very happy at that. "However this means that I cannot aid you directly either. Will you be alright on your own?"

"I will. This is a fight I will finish with my own two hands. I will win, I have to." Lyn told him determinedly, Eliwood giving her a nod before he left. "Everyone, this is going to be the final stretch. Let's go!" the group left the tavern and took their leave of the small village, Lyn looking around.

"Looks like a fog is rolling in..." Naruto said as Kent and Sain looked slightly unhappy at that. "That means we're going to be relatively blind heading to Caelin. Kent, what's the quickest route?"

"The quickest way is to the south. However that runs through General Eagler's estate..." Kent and Sain both shared a worried frown. "It looks as though we have one final obstacle to pass before we reach the castle."

Before anyone could react an armoured knight appeared near the group, holding a lance and looking at them confidently. "So, you've come..." he spoke, Kent and Sain moving forward.

"You...you're Lord Wallace!" Kent told him in amazement, Lyn looking to him for an explanation. "But I've heard that you retired and that you were tilling fields near Ilia."

"Aye, I was until I received orders to capture two knights and a girl." Sain and Kent looked ready to fight him off as he just stood there. "Bring the girl to me. I will judge for myself if the rumours are true."

"Stop this, I am here!" Lyn made herself known as she appeared near Kent and Sain, Wallace eyeing her with interest. "I do not care if you think I am true or not. I am going to visit my grandfather-eh?" she stopped mid sentence as he stared into her eyes.

"A face like yours tells no lies girl." he threw his head back and laughed. "Haha! Yes I like you girl! Why I think I'll join your little band of mercenaries!" seeing her shocked expression he continued. "I pledged my loyalty to Caelin. I will not have a usurper upon the throne. Let's march!"

"Lord Wallace! He...he hasn't changed at all..." Kent spoke as Lyn looked at the bald headed knight with slight amazement in her eyes. "Naruto, how are we going to take care of this?"

"The fog will hinder our eyesight; therefore we're going to need to stick together in groups. Wallace, you take the bridge down the southern part. Wil and Lucius will support you should they start to overwhelm you." the brute looked at Naruto and gave a nod, looking both eager and ready for a fight. "Dorcas, you'll head north through the small gap with Kent and Sain and head around the mountain. Matthew you and Erk will take care of any bandits while everyone else stays here in case of a surprise attack. Keep your eyes open people as I don't want anyone getting fatally wounded, do you hear me?"

Seeing everyone nod Keiko grinned. "Let's move everyone! We don't have all day!" she told them, the group beginning their movement as many varied units began moving towards them, the sounds of battle erupting through the air within moments. "Naruto, don't you think we should help out with some light?"

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto began going through hand seals alongside Keiko, the two finishing on the same symbol. "Light release! All-seeing orbs!" all around them spheres of light wrapped around them before separating, heading in various directions and dispelling some of the fog and giving the people a better view of the enemies around them. "Rath, head into the village and see what anyone is willing to part with that we can use." The teen gave a nod before walking into the village.

The teen returned a moment later with a torch, looking as impassive as he always did. Before he could hand it to Naruto however, the blonde haired teen told him to hold onto it as a just in case, Rath nodding as Lucius came over looking injured. "My apologies, I got careless and took a wound." He told them as Serra moved into heal him. "I will need to rest for a little while as I feel a little tired."

"Ok. Rath, you're up. Don't be afraid to use the torch you've got." Rath nodded and headed off to assist Wil and Wallace with his bow, Lucius relaxing as Serra healed up his wound that he had taken. "Ok everyone, we'll start moving in a minute so keep yourselves ready in case of a bandit attack."

"Naruto." Ninian grabbed his attention. "May I speak with you and Keiko please? It's important." He nodded as she walked over towards the village with them both, turning to face him with a slight blush. "Naruto whenever I'm around you and Keiko I feel a similar power to my own, as if you know where danger is going to be and how to react to it." she looked down as Naruto cleared his throat.

"Ninian." Naruto drew her close. "I know you're a dragon." He whispered, her eyes going wide. "I am one as well as Keiko, hence the reason why you feel the same as we do. It's a secret the four of us share and one I'm not going to give out unless they question me specifically about it. Don't be so disheartened, I know what it's like to have a burden." Keiko who was listening gave Naruto a worried look as he let go of her. "I'll be here for you if you want to talk."

"Thank you..." she replied before they returned to the group. Her eyes however were focused directly on the sun kissed blonde who had engaged in a conversation with the petite pink haired girl and she felt a little happier knowing that one of her own walked amongst the earth and lived with humans. _'Why do I feel both happy and jealous?' _thought the blue haired girl. _'He has a girlfriend but...why does my heart long for him?' _she questioned as Nils came up to her. "My suspicions were correct Nils, they are like us." she told her brother who went wide eyed.

"So he is a dragon...did he say what element he was?" Nils asked as Ninian shook her head. "I see, but why is he not afraid to show his abilities?" looking to her sister both of them drew up blanks as Naruto turned to face them.

"Come on you two! We're heading out." Ninian and Nils both gave him a nod before they caught up to him, the group crossing over the bridge where various dead units lay with stab wounds, archer shots and in a few cases, a mix of both. "Heh, Wallace truly is a brute. I'm glad he's on our side." Naruto commented as the group saw Kent, Sain and Dorcas looking a little beat up, but otherwise fine assisting Wallace and Wil with a paladin that had charged out of the castle he was supposed to be protecting. "Everyone; let me take him."

Everyone that had engaged the paladin backed off as Naruto stepped forward, the paladin looking cautiously at him. "So you're my next opponent. Come!" he told Naruto as he threw his handaxe at him, Naruto simply tilting his head several inches and letting it fly past him harmlessly. Before the axe had a chance to return Naruto had flashed through hand seals rapidly.

"Earth release. Mud dragon." Naruto muttered as the earth around him exploded, sending a dragon of mud straight towards the paladin who stared at it with wide eyes before darting out of the way, Naruto giving a smirk. "Earth release, earth flowing river." Spitting up mud from his mouth the paladin tried to dodge as a decent sized river shot towards him, the man reacting too late and getting swept up in it. "And now for the finishing touches. Lightning release! Thunder wolf hunting pack!" Naruto called out as he gathered up lightning in both his hands and launched it forward, sending out a good dozen of wolves made of electricity which charged down the river and began mauling the armoured horseback rider.

Everyone around save for Keiko felt a little green at that, since only a few had seen that just in action but not seen it up close. "Brutal." Kent stated as Lyn looked to him. "May you find peace general Eagler."

"You knew him?" Lyn asked, seeing Kent nod. "What was he like?"

"When I and Sain first became knights he was our teacher. The two of us looked up to him as a sort of father figure." explained the crimson armoured knight. "This fight was forced, as he knew Lundgren isn't the heir to the throne. He must've had some hold over him, like a family member or something..."

"May he rest in peace." Naruto spoke before Lyn could voice her anger. "Lyn, I know how you feel so the least I can do is this." flashing through hand seals at rapid speeds Keiko noticed the sequence being very familiar. "Wood release. Nativity of nature." From all around him, to the amazement of everyone save for Keiko, trees and flowers began to grow around him and spread outwards, turning the clearing they had fought in into a beautiful garden that was full of life.

"It's beautiful..." Lyn breathed as the trees swallowed up the corpse of Eagler and his mount, burying them underneath trees and flowers with a ring of varying colours wrapping around the spot where his now buried corpse was. "Rest in peace Eagler. I promise that lord Lundgren shall pay." Seeing Naruto had finished with his technique she gave him a fiercely determined nod, Naruto returning it as everyone looked ready to move out. "Everyone! The final battle is approaching!"

After two hours worth of travelling the group arrived at a set of mountains, and Naruto could've guessed that castle Caelin was on the other side. "Castle Caelin is on the other side of these mountains." Kent told them.

"That lout will not be getting the reinforcements he expects." Sain told the group as Naruto looked to Lyn with a determined look upon his face.

"Alright people, less chatting. Kent, Sain, Wallace and Lyn, you four are taking point. Wil, Rath, Erk, Lucius and Florina, you will support them with spells and shots. Lyn, when we get to castle Caelin you can take down Lundgren. If you get into trouble let me know and I'll support you." Lyn gave a nod as Keiko looked to Naruto for instructions. "Keiko, you keep the others safe. If anyone takes an injury they are to pull back as quickly as possible and get healed. Let's move."

The group got into motion and began to move only for the rain to suddenly make itself known as they crossed the first bridge. "The rain feels nice in a way." Keiko commented as they continued moving, albeit a good bit slower than they would have liked to have planned as an archer, a horseback rider and a mage went for them, Lyn engaging the horseback rider as the archer and mage were engaged by Kent and Sain respectively, the three of them defeating their opponents within a moment of fighting.

Continuing on their way a major number of bandits made their appearance, Naruto recognising them as Ganelon bandits. "That's the group that took down our friends! Save the women but kill everyone else!" ordered the leader, failing to notice Naruto's hair go in front of his eyes.

"Lyn." Naruto spoke in a tone of pure power, everyone instantly parting. "I will take this." he walked forward and stopped in front of the group, his eyes still hidden as he looked at them. "Die." Placing his hand together in a sequence that was too fast for the normal eye to watch Naruto went through many hand seals and finished within a second. "Wind release. Unparalleled hurricane." In an instant a massive blast of wind began to pick up around him before shooting forward, turning into a tornado in seconds as it swallowed up the bandits and shredded them apart, their screams of pain coming from the tornado.

Lyn was in shock at Naruto's reaction, mainly because she had never seen a technique of that magnitude happen before. _'What has angered him like that to have such a reaction?'_ she thought as she looked to Keiko, who mouthed 'it's personal' to her, Lyn reading her lips and giving a nod of understanding. "That was...brutal Naruto." Lyn told him as the attack died off, leaving it to rain blood for a moment. "Why did you react in such a way?"

"Where I came from." Naruto told her. "Women were treated as objects and not people." Lyn's eyes widened in horror and understanding despite Naruto knowing that he was telling her a lie or two, though he knew he had to do what he could to keep anyone from finding out that he was an avatar of the gods above. "Anyway." His tone had cheered up. "Let's get moving."

The group continued on their way south where a shaman was standing outside a village, Naruto signalling to Florina who nodded and shot forward, spinning her lance around and striking the shaman down in one blow, much to Lyn's surprise. Florina looked confidently at Naruto who nodded before she walked into the town, talking with an old woman for a moment before coming back out with a ring that would fit her perfectly. Naruto gave her a nod and she put it on, the ring vanishing in a flash as the girl felt her muscles strengthen a little bit.

"Everyone, let's head south. There's a ruined tree that can serve as a bridge." Naruto told them, the group nodding and heading southwards to the bridge where Dorcas walked forward and took it down in one harsh swing of his axe. The tree fell and created a decent yet crossable bridge, everyone crossing it and arriving at the stores. "I doubt we'll need anything from here, even though they might sell us gear we can use..."

"There's the castle." Kent told the group as Naruto walked up to the tree and booted it down, making another bridge. "Come on everyone! We're almost there!" Lyn charged ahead with Sain, Kent and everyone following her, the lone knight protecting the front door being slain in seconds before charging into the castle town area.

"So you're the one who claims to be my grandniece." Spoke a white haired old man who was holding a lance and looked quite armoured. "I will see an end to this foolishness!"

"You can't win Lundgren." Lyn said as she stepped forward, arming her sword. "For your crimes of hatred towards my grandfather and my people, I will never forgive you. You are no granduncle of mine Lundgren, so prepare to pay for your crimes!" she held up her sword as Naruto stepped alongside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"His armour is weak just below the mid-section. Hit hard enough and he'll go down, but keep on your toes." He told her as Lundgren prepared to attack. Lyn gave Naruto a nod before shooting forward, using her enhanced agility and skill to deal the damage that she needed to do as Lundgren attempted to attack her only for his strikes to miss. _'She'll win as long as she doesn't get overconfident.'_ Thought the sun kissed blonde as everyone armed their weapons, ready to support until Naruto placed his hand to the side. "Let her fight. This is her battle." He told them.

Lyn focused as she vanished into several blurs. "This is it." she said in a low and cold tone before striking him harshly three times, the first one destroying his body armour, the second dealing a diagonal wound across his body and the third removing his lance arm. "You lose Lundgren." She said as her sword sliced off the other arm, her eyes having a cold glare within them.

"You're nothing...but a Sacaen savage...the Caelin throne...should be...mine..." he muttered as Lyn slashed one more time and beheaded him, the girl returning her sword to the sheath with a smile as civilians came out of hiding, looking at her with a surprised and shocked expression.

"Excuse me." spoke a man dressed in regal like wear. "Would you happen to be Miss Lyndis?" the man asked her, Lyn nodding. "Oh, forgive my rudeness my lady. I am Chancellor Reissman of the Caelin royal family. I received word from Kent and Sain when you first met, but Lundgren discovered me and imprisoned me. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to your true home."

"Thank you. May I see my grandfather now?" she asked as Naruto and Keiko both gave her a nod of agreement.

"Yes of course." he replied as he beckoned Lyn to follow him, Lyn beckoning Naruto and Keiko to follow her as they headed into the castle, everyone else waiting outside for them as they arrived at his room after a short walk. "Do not be shocked by what you see. Lundgren has been poisoning the marquess's meals for some time. His body has been ravaged and he has been bedridden for months." He opened the door and let them inside.

"Who is there?" said an elderly man as Lyn looked in horror at the form of her grandfather. "I said no visitors. I will see no-one." the girl looked down as Naruto gave her a small push forward. "What are you doing? Leave me...to die..."

"Um, pardon me. My name is...I'm Lyndis." She said, the man looking to them as he sat up.

"Eh? Did you say Lyndis? Is that..." he trailed off as he coughed.

"My father's name was Hassar, chieftain of the Lorca. My mother was...Madelyn. I was raised on the plains." Lyn replied as he looked thoughtful, despite his sickly appearance.

"...could it be? Come, come here. Let me see your face." Lyn took a step forward into the light as Naruto and Keiko remained in the dark so they could share a moment. "Oh...yes...there is no doubt...you are Madelyn's trueborn child...uhhh...ahhhh..."

"Grandfather!" Lyn stated as she shot forward, the two hugging with Naruto and Keiko smiling at their interaction.

"Lundgren had told me my daughter had died. My heir...and you, too. He told me you were dead. Thank you...thank you for living...ahhhh...I am blessed..."

"Mother and father were slain last year by brigands. I...I was the only survivor. I lived on, but..."

"Lyndis, please forgive a prideful old man. If I had but accepted your parents love, there would have been no bandits. We would have lived here together in perfect peace."

"Grandfather...my parents...my tribe...our life was one of love and peace. The end was tragic, but...up until the attack, we was truly happy."

"Truly? Madelyn had a life of happiness? Hearing that fills me with so much joy. Thank you Lyndis...I can die in peace now..." as the man laid back down to accept his fate he saw Naruto and Keiko move into the light. "Who are you?"

"Friends." Naruto spoke as they moved to his stomach, the two activating the diagnostic jutsu. "Don't worry lord Hausen, me and my sister are qualified healers who have dealt with things like these. Oh?" Naruto looked at the place where his hand was. "Don't worry, this isn't a strong poison. I can cure this but it's going to feel uncomfortable for a while." Before he could ask what was going on Naruto's hands glowed the same mix of green and white as he began rubbing his stomach, the man feeling his body strength recover rapidly as the poison began to dissipate.

"I...feel...fine..." he said as the medical healing power continued to recover what he had lost, Lyn looking at them with uncertain eyes as Keiko gave her a warm smile indicating he was going to be ok. "My body strength...it's coming back to me..." Naruto smirked as he stopped after a moment, giving Lyn a nod.

"The poison is almost dissipated, but his life is no longer in danger. Plenty of rest and a good few meals and he'll be as healthy as he can be." Naruto told Lyn as he faced her, the female looking at him with tears of joy before she threw herself into his arms, Naruto rubbing her back as she squeezed him and muttered 'thank you' over and over.

"Where will you go after this?" asked Lyn as she let go of him. "Would you stay for a day please? You must be very tired."

"I'm not really tired but I'll accept your gracious offer." Lyn looked very pleased to hear that as Naruto smiled. "Lord Hausen, I would advise you get some sleep so you can fully recover and spend time with your granddaughter." The man gave him a grandfatherly smile and nodded before lying down in his bed and falling asleep, the group leaving the man to rest.

(A/N: sorry to all who wanted me to update a little quicker. I had difficulty writing the talking sequences between chapters since I haven't played the game in a good year or two. However for the next chapter I will need some feedback, as I cannot decide to send Naruto around the world or skip doing that and go to the 'one year later' part. Either way Naruto will end up in Caelin, so the chapter will start from number 16 onwards (going by Hector's story) to the end.

Please review and tell me what you would like to see.)


	4. Chapter 4

(Very quick A/N: two lemon scenes in this chapter to break up the action and set the storyline for future events.)

Chapter four

"It's been almost a year since we left the castle, and today we make a return." Spoke a blonde haired man as he walked towards a castle alongside his green haired lover. "I wonder how everyone's been." He gave a smile as his lover jumped in front of him and bent over, Naruto grabbing her bum and making her stand up before lifting her up with one arm and continuing on his way. "Do remember Keiko, I can dominate you harder than you can dominate me."

The girl's response was to lean on him and lick his earlobe before squeaking as Naruto grabbed her bum hard. "We had so much fun over our travels little brother. I can't wait for another adventure like the one we had." She told him as she swung herself around him, wrapping her legs around his waist and balancing in front of him before pushing his face into her breasts with a delighted. "Ooh!"

"Keiko, I can't see." she leant back a bit and allowed Naruto to see the cliff. Seeing as though they were close to it Naruto empowered his legs with chakra and pushed off, leaping the cliff in one bound with no effort whatsoever. "Alright you can walk alongside me." he said as he let her down, Keiko smiling happily as they arrived at the gate where a few guards who knew the two gave them nods and let them in without another word.

"Hey Naruto!" spoke Wil as they walked into town, the brown haired boy running up to greet them. "It's good to see you again." Wil hadn't changed in the slightest, and Naruto was happy to see that he had remained relatively the same as Keiko gave him a perverse grin.

"As to you Wil. Things been pretty quiet around here?" Naruto asked him, the boy nodding. "That's good to hear. Do you happen to know where Lyn is? I need to speak with her about some things." The teen gave a nod and pointed over to the garden that she was walking around with various civilians, most of whom were either tending to the garden or talking to each other or the girl who was walking with her grandfather. "Thanks Wil." He told him before they headed into the garden, making sure they didn't step on any of the flowers as she saw them.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Lyn as she ran through the flowers and straight up to him, Naruto giving her a smile. "It's good to see you again." Naruto took her hand and gave it a kiss, the girl blushing at his actions as everyone surrounded them, lord Hausen standing a short distance away from them and watching their interaction.

"It's good to be back. Do you have a little while? I've got some stories you'd love to hear." Lyn gave him a very eager nod as the crowd parted, Lyn taking Naruto's hand and walking him towards the castle with Keiko following before stopping close by where Florina was tending to her Pegasus. "Florina! Hello!"

"Naruto!" she called out as she shot straight over to him, the two exchanging a hug that the petite girl accepted with gusto. "I've missed you!" she squealed happily as she hugged Keiko, who hugged her back. "Do you have any stories of your travels? I'd love to know where you've been!" the girl took a deep breath when Naruto gave her a nod and she wrapped her arm around his, Lyn smiling at their interaction as she headed into the castle with Naruto, Florina and Keiko following.

"We can talk in here." Lyn spoke as they entered a well lit room, the sunlight brightening up the room as Naruto recognised it to be hers. "Would you like a drink?"

"I'm fine thanks; I had a meal before I got here." Naruto said as he sat down, Keiko sitting next to him as Florina sat next to Lyn. "I guess I'll begin at the beginning when I left the castle. As per I agreed on with Erk, the three of us escorted Serra to Ostia as his contract agreed upon. We took a week when we could've been there in five days due to Serra trying to hit on me. I eventually gave her a couple of words and Keiko knocked her unconscious which forced me to carry her all the way there."

'_That cow had best not seduced my man!'_ thought both Lyn and Florina at the same time, Naruto seeing a scowl come over their faces and laughing.

"Once we got there we had to stay a week longer since word of my healing ability had gotten around to the marquess of Ostia through Matthew." Lyn and Florina both looked surprised at this information, as they had found it a bit odd when he had joined them out of the blue for no reason. "The marquess asked for a private visit to see me and Keiko, the two of us learning that he had the same illness that cost his parents both of their lives." Both females looked shocked as Naruto smiled. "After an hour's worth of work the man was completely clear of his condition and he wanted to throw a banquet for me but I declined, as I'm not a party person. At the very least he gave me some money to continue our journey, and we set out for Etrutia and made it there within a week."

"What's Etrutia like?" asked Lyn, having never been there personally but always respected and loved the culture they had.

"Chaos." Naruto replied, surprising the two. "The place was in uproar due to the king's wife having been kidnapped by bandits while she was carrying the heir of Etrutia." Naruto didn't fail to miss the horrified looks upon their faces as Keiko frowned. "Because Erk's teacher was the mage general, yeah it surprised me too, the boy asked me to help out and I gathered up a few clues as to where she could have possibly gone. After I put the clues together I got a rough sketch of her clothing that she was last seen in, and I put the pictures together that she was in the western isles, a place known for its bandits and various low-lifers."

"Bandits..." repeated Lyn, her face alive with fury. "Tell me you made them suffer."

"To put it simply, it was a bloodbath." Keiko spoke for Naruto. "My brother and I walked in there with our power ablaze and we wiped out a good number of them, rescuing the queen alongside a good six hundred slaves that followed us all the way to Etrutia, the king fainting on us when we walked into his throne room with my brother carrying his wife." Florina and Lyn both looked at Naruto in an impressed way, Naruto giving them both a foxy smile that made them both blush.

"What happened to the slaves?" asked Florina as she poured herself a drink.

"The three generals took care of them by giving them food and water and clothing. The biggest concern was a location to stay, since the orphanage wasn't very big and there weren't that many houses that could support them. The generals instead sorted them through into smaller villages where they could restart their lives, and after a month of staying there, which also included Keiko bringing the new Etrutian heir into the world, we left there and went with Pent and his wife Louise to meet a living legend."

"Living...legend?" Lyn asked curiously. "I know of no-one who holds that title."

"He lives in the desert of Nabata and has been alive more than a thousand years and also wielded the legendary tome Forblaze. He was originally one of the eight legends of the world who fought in the scouring, and he introduced himself as archsage Athos." Naruto chuckled at the shocked looks on Lyn and Florina's faces, and Keiko gave Naruto a smile. "The two of us studied alongside him for several months before we left, the man teleporting us to the plains where we began heading southwards to return here, though we got held up by a group of people that were after our heads because of what we can do." Naruto took a breath of air as Lyn and Florina looked at each other with a hint of worry. "There were five of them, three guys and two females. Keiko took down the females and I defeated the guys, though one of them managed to get a hit on me in my arm."

"Are you ok?" Lyn questioned, Naruto giving her a nod. "Naruto, there is something that Florina and I have wanted to discuss and well, we wanted to wait for you to return here so we could talk about it." Lyn blushed slightly as she and Florina leaned in a little closer.

"We...have feelings for you Naruto." Florina spoke, Naruto looking a little surprised. "Ever since we first met you we saw you as nothing more than our friend but after journeying alongside you, well you just...grew on us." explained Florina with a blush. "When you left, we missed you deeply that we would often dream about you, and it wasn't until we started to talk to each other that we realised that we loved you with all of our heart."

"We...we're sorry if this is a little sudden..." Lyn added, Naruto shaking his head.

"I told you so!" Keiko suddenly blurted out, making Lyn and Florina jump. "I told you they loved you with all their heart, and you didn't believe me!" she threw her fist into the air as they blushed heavily red. "Well Naruto? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Uh, sorry?" he replied sheepishly. "I didn't even think that you were developing feelings for me, but I thought they were only of friendship...heh, guess I was wrong." He smiled at them both as he stood up, the females in the room doing so. "I can say that I do love you as well." in an instant both Lyn and Florina had shot around the table and jumped onto him, Naruto catching them with one arm each as they both gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you Naruto." Lyn said happily as they got off of him, Naruto keeping his hands planted on their rear gently. "The two of us will do all we can to be your wives." Lyn added as she stared into his eyes, feeling a power flood her that she never thought possible, just from staring into them alone. _'I feel safe in his arms...but why do I feel this way?'_ she thought before she, along with Florina, squeaked courtesy of Naruto giving their backsides a squeeze much to their delight. "Um, I'm going to go for a walk. I'll speak to you later ok?"

"Sure." Naruto replied as he let go of his new girlfriend, the green haired Lorca girl taking her leave of the room and leaving Florina with Naruto and Keiko. "So Florina, tell me something..." he wrapped her in his arms and lifted her up, walking over to the bed and taking a seat on there with Florina sitting on him. "What really made you fall in love with me?"

"W-well, you h-have s-such a k-kind personality." She told him with a blush. "And w-when I kissed y-you that time..." she blushed harder as Naruto stared into her beautiful eyes, the girl going quiet as Naruto gave her a warm smile.

Naruto's smile faded as he ran a hand through her hair before bringing her down, connecting his lips with hers. Florina's eyes widened before she closed them and felt Naruto's tongue enter her mouth to her delight, and she continued to kiss him as she felt Naruto's other hand run up and down her back. Breaking the kiss Florina stared at him with slight disappointment in her eyes until she felt his hands run underneath her clothes, one rubbing her back and the other being placed on her bum. "Your feelings were born when you kissed me." Naruto summed up, Florina nodding.

"I don't mean to be a burden..." she said as she looked down, Naruto shaking his head and letting go of her rear to lift up her head. "I'm sorry..."

"You have no reason to apologise Florina or shall I call you my goddess?" remarked Naruto, Florina squeaking at being called such a name. "You love me and I love you and you are not a burden upon me whatsoever, so stop thinking as such." Florina blushed hard at his praise as she descended down and kissed him, Naruto accepting her and letting her enjoy the moment they were sharing.

"N-Naruto..." Florina said as she got up, bending down and undoing the straps on her shoes to take them off. "I...love you...please...m-make l-love to me?" she looked over to Keiko who gave her a perverse grin before closing over the door and activating a silence seal to stop all noise from getting out.

"If that is your wish my beautiful Pegasus rider, then I shall do as you desire." He replied as his hand gently touched the strap holding her shoulder pads on and unbuckled it, letting them fall to the ground as he stood up and took off his coat and threw it to Keiko, who wrapped herself in it. Taking off her top Florina stood there with only her underpants on as Naruto stood up, lifting up her head and gently hugging her as he ran his hands down to her rather firm bum and began to massage it to the petite girl's delight.

"N-Naruto...l-let me d-do t-the work..." she told him, the blonde sitting on the bed and moving back a bit to allow Florina to get out his seven inch stick and stare at it with amazement. _'Don't be astounded by its size.' _She mentally told herself, remembering Keiko's words during the week of waiting. _'To get the most pleasure out of him you begin by taking the tip in your mouth and use your tongue to stimulate him and then you take as much as you can in after a moment.' _She heard her say, mentally making a note to repay her when she got the chance. "H-here goes..." she told herself before doing as instructed.

Naruto gave a smile as Florina began pleasuring him in the way that he liked it the most. _'One full night of sex says that you have something to do with this my little dragoness sister.' _Naruto thought as he looked over at Keiko, who had a very innocent smile on her face. "That's good Florina." he told her as he gave a small groan of satisfaction, the petite girl finally taking as much of his stick into her mouth as she could and the two feeling it touch the back of her mouth, almost to her throat.

'_Keiko warned me that he'll grow in size within a moment.'_ She thought as she slowly sucked on his stick, making sure she kept at a pace that wasn't too fast or slow. Without much of a warning she could feel his stick begin to expand in her jaw, and she was a little surprised to feel it happen though she wasn't going to stop just because it had decided to 'wake up' when being satisfied. _'She also told me about Naruto's cum being delicious, though I don't know what she means by that...'_ she thought as she felt Naruto run his hand through her hair.

"Florina...I'm going to cum." Naruto warned her, the petite girl going wide eyed before continuing to suck on his stick. "Uhh!" he groaned as he blasted his seed a moment later, Florina swallowing as much as she could. Unfortunately since she was new to the experience of sex she could only swallow so much before the torrent of cum started to fill her mouth and she had to pull out, swallowing what was in her mouth as Naruto's dick blasted its seed over her face and her breasts, making her blush furiously as Keiko came over.

"You did what you could Florina, now let me clean you up." before Florina could react Keiko had gone down to her level and started lapping up the seed that was plastered over her face, the two exchanging a kiss a few times much to Florina's blushing before she moved down to her breasts and lapped up the cum on them. "Good, now that you're clean it's time for the main event. Lay on the bed." Florina did as she was told as Naruto took off his trousers and let his meat stick free from its prison.

'_That stick is going inside of me!'_ she thought as Naruto removed her panties, leaving her as naked as the day she was born. "Naruto, please be gentle." She said as his hands opened up her legs to reveal her being very slightly wet.

"This is going to hurt but it'll get easier to adjust to." He said as his stick was moving ever nearer to her maidenhood, the girl blushing as he was now positioned in front of it. In one thrust Naruto's meat dove into her pussy, colliding with her virgin barrier and reducing it to nothing and hitting her cervix in one push, the girl gasping in a small amount of pain as she finally felt her virginity be taken by the one she loved. "Are you ok?"

"I...y-yes." Florina replied as she took a moment to adjust to his size, smiling warmly. "T-thank you f-for making m-me a woman, my l-love." Naruto could only smile back at the girl as he felt her loosen up, gently beginning to pleasure her by sliding out slightly and then thrusting back inside, making sure he didn't go too fast for her. "K-keep g-going..." she told him, Naruto continuing as she blushed with a warm smile upon her face.

'_She's not too tight for a petite girl. I'm actually really surprised that she is this way.'_ Naruto thought as he continued to pleasure her, Keiko watching them with a perverse smile as she ran a hand into her trousers and began to tease herself in preparation for tonight's session she was going to have with him. _'I'm not screwing you tonight Keiko. I have another green haired girl to satisfy, who probably is a sex deprived woman wanting a lot of action.' _He grinned at Florina as she placed her hands into the air, Naruto taking each hand in his and continuing to fuck his new lover with a calming and reassuring smile.

After a good few minutes of sex, that Florina had gotten used to and was now enjoying, Naruto could feel himself getting ready to cum. "Florina I'm going to cum. Do you want me to pull out?" she looked a little alarmed but shook her head, Naruto giving her a nod and continuing to fuck her softly as he could feel himself getting closer to climaxing, the girl smiling as she could feel herself about to flood herself with her own juice. "Florina I'm...!" the girl blushed but forced herself down, swallowing what she could of Naruto's meat as she felt herself release not a second too late as Naruto released his seed into her, Florina blushing as Naruto felt his dick become swallowed up by her own.

"That...was...nice..." Florina said with a dreamy look upon her face as she let go of Naruto's hands and just laid there, feeling warm where Naruto's seed had just planted itself and looking dreamily happy at the blonde haired man who had finally deflowered her and turned her into a woman. _'Do I really want children this early in life?' _she thought as she rubbed her stomach, where Naruto's meat was residing within her. "I...love...you...Naruto..." she muttered as she stared at him, Naruto giving her a smile as he extracted his rock hard stick from her, letting the juices leak out of her a little. "Such a...nice feeling..."

"I love you too Florina." He said as he sat there staring at her. "And I always will love you." the girl gave a happy smile as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Naruto looking at her body before getting up and looking at Keiko who had a perverse smile on her face. "Don't think you're being left out Keiko. You are my alpha without question and I won't choose between her and you."

"I know my big brother." she replied as she walked over to him, sitting next to him and placing an arm around him. "I'm just happy that I've got a new girl to have fun with, especially thanks to Kami giving us the rule." Naruto could only smile as he felt Florina shuffle up to him and throw her arms around his warm body with a small delighted moan. "And this one is the first of many."

"Will you stop talking as if I'm going to have a harem?" Naruto told her in a slightly annoyed tone. "I am not going to have a harem, I am going to have lovers whom I love equally and will respect equally." Keiko gave him a smile as she ran a hand onto his seven inch stick, Naruto stopping her and making her pout. "I know you're a nymphomaniac my little dragoness but I'm letting Florina snuggle up to me before I catch some sleep myself, though you're welcome to join me."

"Is that an invitation for a threesome?" Keiko asked, giggling when Naruto sighed. "I know it's not, I'm just teasing you. Yeah I think I'll join you in getting some rest since we haven't had a chance to sleep over the past three days because of those bastards we ran into on the plains." Keiko's expression darkened as Naruto placed an arm around her, the girl moving closer to him. "That dark haired woman with the golden eyes was really easy to take down, one lustful kiss with a bit of groping and she was out cold. That blue haired one though had a real look of sadness about her..."

"The black fang as they called themselves...just what is their real motive?" Naruto asked to no-one as he let go of Florina to rub his arm where the red haired man had managed to strike which he had healed before arriving at the castle. "No sense dwelling on it until later. Let's get some sleep." Keiko nodded to that idea as she got up, letting Naruto pick up the sleeping form of Florina and shuffle under her, the girl moaning into his chest as Keiko moved her up a bit and joined him, throwing Naruto's warm coat over them as Naruto placed a hand on both girls bums to their delight. "Good night Keiko and Florina, sleep well."

A few hours later

Florina awoke with a moan of delight as she slowly opened her eyes, feeling a warm body lying underneath her and a hand planted on each of her bum cheeks. Opening her eyes slowly she saw the handsome face of her lover in front of her, and felt happy that she had finally become a fully fledged woman, as she had been told by her mother years ago. _'Naruto and I had sex...and it was so nice.'_ She thought as she looked to her right to see Keiko lying there, asleep. _'Keiko's asleep on him with her clothes on, that means she didn't have sex with Naruto and is just resting with him.'_

As the pink haired girl tried to move she felt Naruto's hand grip her bum slightly, and the girl froze up for a few seconds. _'Just lie down on him and wait. You'll be ok.'_ she told herself as she felt his hand soften up. "N-Naruto?" she whispered as he shut his eyes tight for a few seconds before opening them and looking straight at her. "G-good a-afternoon..."

"Good afternoon my Pegasus rider." He replied as he let go of her bum and ran his hand up her back, making her blush. "There's no need to blush now is there my petite beauty?" she gave him a smile before leaning forward and kissing him on the lips which he obliged to and kissed back. "Let's get up since the afternoon is still with us."

"Yeah." she replied in a calm tone as she heard Keiko moan and open her eyes, looking at Florina with a smile. "Keiko; thanks for teaching me how to pleasure and satisfy Naruto. I'll make it up to you." the green haired girl smiled before they both got off of Naruto, Florina blushing at the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. "Can I have m-my clothes back please?" before she could place her pants back on she felt a pair of hands grab her waist and gently pull her down onto Naruto's lap, the man running his hands up her body to her shoulders and gripping them softly before giving her a small massage, Florina gasping in shock before melting in his hands with a delighted moan. "Mm...uhh...that feels...so...good..."

After a few minutes of massaging the girl he let go of her, giving her the chance to get up and get dressed. Feeling so tense-free Florina realised that her movements were going a little bit faster than normal, and she took a deep breath before collecting her clothes and putting them on, not feeling embarrassed whatsoever that her boyfriend was watching her. "Keiko." Florina said as she put on her top over her panties. "As I'm one of Naruto's lovers, will there be...any rules I...have to follow?"

Keiko looked at Naruto who gave her a nod, the man having got his trousers and shoes on. "There will be. The first rule I believe is that no matter what, I am the alpha female meaning if I want to screw Naruto's brains out until I can't stand no more then I will do so. The second is that you'll not only listen to Naruto but me as well, however I won't do things to you that make you feel uncomfortable. You can thank Naruto for me having respect for other people's privacy." Florina took a deep breath as she looked at Keiko relieved, Naruto knowing that Keiko would have done many things to her if she was given the chance.

"So girls." Naruto asked as he placed an arm around them, Florina and Keiko grabbing his hand that was on their hip. "Shall we go out and get some fresh air?" both of them nodded to the plan and they all headed out of the room, walking at a normal pace southwards to the entrance of the castle. "Hey beautiful, quick question. Do you get cold just wearing that top?" Naruto asked the pink haired girl, Florina nodding in response. "Well I think it's time we went and got you some new clothes."

"H-huh!" exclaimed Florina in shock as she looked at them both. "B-but, I h-have almost n-no money!"

"You don't, but I do." Naruto said as he unsealed something from his shoulder, Florina's eyes going wide when he brought out a bag of ten thousand gold. "Keiko, take Florina shopping for clothes of all occasions. Whatever she wants, you are permitted to buy and I don't care how much you use." Keiko grinned as she took the money, Florina blushing as the green haired girl grabbed her by the arm and walked off with her to the nearest clothing store to get her some new gear. _'That'll keep them busy for three hours. Now I think it's time I did some meditating.' _He thought as he turned to look at the garden where various civilians were going in and out.

Walking into the garden Naruto saw the civilians walking around and talking with each other, enjoying the time of peace that they were having. _'This is peace, something I always wanted.'_ He thought as he remembered the vow he took countless years ago to use his powers to bring about peace and prosperity for those who needed or deserved it. _'I promised everyone that I would bring about peace, and in the end all my friends died in some form or another.' _He clenched his fists as he stood in front of the fountain, tears stinging his eyes as he remembered his friends and those who had become his family.

"Naruto?" spoke a voice from behind him, the man stopping himself and turning around. "Are you..." Lyn was standing there and staring at him, the man not realising he had a look of sorrow upon his face. "Is something the matter? You look unhappy..."

"Just...memories Lyn." He replied as he grinned to break the mood. "So how have things been here for the past year?"

"It's been rather quiet truthfully." Lyn walked over to a bench and took a seat, Naruto joining her and sitting next to her. "The castle is doing well and the people are happy." She looked at Naruto who was listening to her with an impassive look. "And I am happy to have met my grandfather thanks to you. If it wasn't for you Naruto I...don't know where I would be right now..." she stood up and looked at Naruto with happiness in her eyes as he got to his feet, Lyn grabbing his arms and wrapping them around her happily before bringing herself up a little and touching his lips with her own.

Naruto accepted her kiss as he descended to let her have a little leeway before he used his tongue and entered her mouth with it, Lyn's eyes widening slightly before she responded by using her own, mixing her saliva with his as their tongues continued to dance and tease each other with unbridled passion. _'Why I did that I will never know...something in my heart told me to do it.' _she thought as they disconnected, Naruto looking at her slightly surprised. "Naruto, I'm sorry for th-"

Before she could continue her lips were glued to his only this time his hands had run down her back and were planted on her bum, Lyn realising that she had made her move upon him and now he was returning the gesture which she let happen. _'I won't stop him. He is my new lover along with Keiko, who told me and Florina that he doesn't mind loving the three of us equally as long as we can accept each other.' _Lyn mentally told herself as Naruto broke the kiss and smiled at her.

"Thanks for that." He told her. "You've brightened up my day Lyn with your kiss and your beautiful smile." Letting go of Lyn's bum that was now well massaged the man turned around to look back at the town as he drew out his flute.

"You're going to play on your flute?" she received no answer as he began walking back into the small area of houses though her question was answered when he sat down on a nearby barrel and played a single note to garner everyone's attention before switching to other notes at a slow pace. _'His playing...is it reflecting his mood?' _she thought with a slightly saddened stare at the man she had fallen in love with.

As she watched him play he started to pick up pace, going from a sad tune to a somewhat uplifting and calming peace that Lyn was starting to enjoy. What got her attention the most was the gentle wind that had started to pick up around him; both civilians and soldiers around were listening with a smile upon their faces as he played for them. _'His playing does reflect his mood...no, it reflects...what he's been through and the hardships and trials he has gone through.' _Lyn mentally told herself, a small part of her wishing she could be as strong as he was.

After a good minute of playing a song he finished it on a calming note, the wind calming down as multiple civilians and soldiers clapped for him. "Thank you very much." Naruto announced as he stood up, noticing Keiko and Florina had been listening. Giving them a smile Keiko gave Naruto a nod before taking Florina's arm and walking into a clothing store with her to get something new for the petite girl. "Did you enjoy yourself Lyn?"

"I did." the Lorca heiress told him. "Your playing is both unique and delightful, and it reminds me of back home." She said this with a smile, and Naruto knew that her pain of losing her family had lessened from what it was. "Anyway, enough about that. Well..." truth be told Lyn had no idea of what to say to Naruto, however she need not have worried as a moment later Keiko came back with Florina, the petite girl having a rosy red blush on her face along with many different sets of clothing underneath her arms.

"Thank you Naruto for the money to buy this." Florina told him with a smile. "Keiko, can you help me change into something decent please?" the girl nodded and the two were gone as quickly as they came, much to the confusion of Lyn.

Before Lyn could voice her question however a soldier walked up to Lyn and Naruto. "Lady Lyn, your grandfather is requesting you to have dinner with him. He has also asked for sir Naruto, Lady Keiko, Miss Florina, Knights Kent and Sain and the archer Wil to join him in the mess hall." He told them. "I was unable to inform Lady Keiko and Miss Florina as they ran past me into their room and locked the door. Knight Kent and Knight Sain already know."

"I'll go get the girls." Naruto said as he stood up. "I'll see you in the mess hall Lyn." The green haired girl responded with a nod before he headed off into the castle to collect his lovers. Passing by the soldiers who were talking to each other Naruto headed down the corridor and turned left, walking to the end and turning right, heading halfway up the hall to where the door was that was Florina's room. "Girls?" Naruto said as he knocked twice, the sounds of rustling coming from behind it.

"Just a sec Naruto!" Keiko said from the other side as he heard more rustling. Folding over his arms Naruto took a step back and waited for the door to open, which it did a moment later. Seeing no-one there Naruto walked into the room and looked about for them, the door closing over a few seconds later. "Like what you see?" teased Keiko as he turned around, his jaw dropping.

Both Florina and Keiko were wearing elegant and very beautiful dresses, Keiko wearing a green one that matched her hair beautifully while Florina wore a blue one that suited her eyes perfect. "Wow." Naruto told them. "I see two goddesses that define the word perfection." Both girls smiled as they walked up to him, Naruto ever so gently embracing them as they both gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Lord Hausen has requested us for dinner with him. Are the two of you ready?" they both gave a nod of agreement before following their lover out of the room.

Naruto had learned the layout of the castle a year ago when Lyn had explored with him, therefore he more or less knew where everything was. The mess hall was located at the back of the castle, next to the throne room and had multiple chefs and waitresses that worked in the kitchen that was right next door. Drawing his girlfriends a little closer to him they smiled happily as they continued on their way towards the mess hall where they had been invited to have dinner with the current marquess.

Walking into the mess hall they saw Lord Hausen standing at his chair at the top with Kent and Sain either side of him. "Ahh Naruto, I am glad to see you could make it." Hausen spoke, Naruto and Keiko giving a polite bow. "You have no need to bow to me. You saved my life one year ago, and I am grateful for your aid."

"It was no problem." Naruto replied as he looked to the seating arrangements, seeing himself next to Keiko and Lyn. "Lyn should be here shortly with Wil and then we can eat." He gave a grandfatherly smile that Naruto was reminded very much of old man Sarutobi, and he couldn't help but return the smile with a foxy one of his own.

"Sorry we're late." Lyn said a minute later as she walked in with Wil, who gave the grandfather a bow of respect before moving to his seat, noticing Florina was wearing a dress that matched her eyes perfect. "Grandfather, is something the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter my granddaughter." He replied as Lyn and Wil moved to their seats, the grandfather taking a seat and everyone following suit. "I have invited you all tonight to have dinner with me, since you all took care of my granddaughter and helped us to reunite after so long. While I would have waited for everyone who joined Lyndis' legion." He smiled at the slight blush on said girl's face. "To have dinner with me as a thank you, they had to go their own way." He raised his glass that was full of wine. "So I propose a toast to Lyndis' legion."

"To Lyndis' legion." Everyone chorused as they drank with him, Naruto finding the wine rather nice tasting and just right for a wine. Just after they finished the toast the maids came out holding plates of food, setting them down in front of them and returning to the kitchen.

Dinner was, in Naruto's opinion, quite enjoyable. While he mainly chatted with Lyn and Keiko he also had a discussion with Lord Hausen about his travels, and where he had been. Naruto had told him what he told Lyn save for the western isles adventure and meeting the living legend Athos, the man looking very happy for the blonde as he told him everything that he had seen and done.

Once dinner was finished they were served dessert, which was a mixture of fruits along with some strong wine that was a little bit more potent than what Naruto had drunk. However the wine that was served was a little too strong for Kent and Sain, and they ended up somewhat intoxicated and they ended up falling asleep at the table. Florina fortunately didn't drink the wine and ate the fruit only, Lyn and Wil doing the same as her while Naruto and Keiko drank the wine and ate the fruit without feeling the effects of it.

After dinner, which took a good hour, it had hit night-time already. Taking leave of the table along with everyone else Naruto was joined by Lyn, florina and Keiko as they headed back to their room. Before Naruto walked into the room however Keiko whispered something in his ear before grabbing Florina and the two walking off, leaving Naruto and Lyn to enter the bedroom. Walking over to the bed Naruto turned around just in time for Lyn to push him onto it, smiling as she undid the cloth around her waist.

"Naruto, I love you." she spoke, her Lorca driven instincts telling her to make herself known to him and have herself taken by him here and now. Dropping the robe off of her she moved onto Naruto's lap, descending upon him and kissing him with furious passion that he returned. Before she realised what was happening she felt herself leave his lap and three seconds later her back hit the wall, Lyn responding by throwing her legs up and around his waist to stop her from falling.

After kissing the beautiful green haired girl for a good moment he moved over to the bed, where he very gently laid her on the bed and took off his coat and trousers. _'I'll have to clean these in the morning.'_ He thought as he resumed his passionate kissing session with his new lover, Lyn taking his hands in hers and letting the man have his way with her. "Well Lyn, since you seem to be rather demanding of me, I guess I should do the work for you shouldn't I?" Naruto said as he stopped kissing her, letting go of her hands and gently rubbing her face with one and keeping himself up with the other.

"Naruto." Lyn said in a confident tone before he could assault her body. "Please be gentle. Your lover told me that the first time would hurt."

"Lyn, your request shall be granted." Planting another kiss on her lips Naruto trailed a line down her neck, making her shift up in delight before she felt him arrive at her chest. Without warning her chest exploded into a warm delightful heat as she gasped, Naruto having taken to pleasuring her left nipple and massaging her right breast as the Lorca girl's instincts failed her and she did the only thing she could do; place her hands around Naruto's head and push out her chest as much as she could.

Seeing her actions Naruto mentally smiled as he continued to tackle her breasts like he did his dragoness lover. Granted they weren't as big, but for the girl's frame they fitted her perfectly, and Naruto knew she was going to enjoy this. _'My only concern is if we go at it until morning time, or she falls asleep part of the way through.'_ Naruto mentally told himself as he used his tongue to tease her nipple a little more before switching over, using the opposite hand for her left breast while his tongue took her right nipple.

Lyn's bliss had placed her somewhere in heaven the second he switched, her mind was blank and it was taking all of her willpower to stop her from making Naruto stop the foreplay and take her as much as she could until she passed out, and due to her Lorca heritage she was very tempted to do so, but was unable to for one reason.

Naruto had started pleasuring her down south.

Two of his fingers had begun rubbing around her sex and slightly dipping into her womanly folds to tease, arouse and pleasure her as much as he could before she stopped him. _'I think that's enough with her breasts.' _thought Naruto as he stopped, Lyn looking at him slightly confused before he tilted her over so she was on top of him. Gently shifting her around Lyn got the message and did a full one-eighty, her head now at his trousers as her sex that was still covered by her underwear was in Naruto's face. "Lyn, are you sure about this?"

"Shut up and pleasure me." she said as Naruto felt her begin pulling down his trousers, the blonde haired man looking a little surprised at her unladylike behaviour but smiling and grabbing her underwear and gently taking it off, leaving her as naked as the day she was born. Lifting up his head he paused as he felt Lyn grip his stick and pull it free of its confines. "Just what I like to see." Naruto heard her say in a slightly wild tone as he felt his tip touch her tongue, Naruto responding by using his tongue to lick around her.

'_She comes from the Lorca tribe and from what I remember, they were the most wild out of the three tribes though they had one thing in common with the others, they would always help other tribes and travelling wanderers that needed aid.'_ Thought Naruto as his tongue dove into her womanhood, hearing a gasp before Lyn returned the gesture by taking what she could of his meaty stick into her mouth and beginning to work upon it.

Shortly after Naruto and Lyn pleasured each other they could feel themselves preparing to climax. _'Shit! No silence seal!'_ Naruto told himself as he let go of her massaged rear and went through three hand seals before slamming his hand on the wall, seeing a shockwave echo all around the room. Smiling as he thrust his tongue once more into her he didn't have to wait long as he grunted loudly as Lyn moaned, the two unleashing their juices into each other's mouths that quickly went down their throat but not without touching their tongues first.

'_Tasty.'_ was their combined thought.

Getting off of Naruto Lyn stood up and turned to face him, Naruto watching as she leaned over the bed and smiled. "Come and make me yours." She instructed, Naruto getting up off the bed and walking around to behind her. "Turn me into a woman like you did with your lover." Naruto was quite surprised at her behaviour as he placed his hands on her bum, Lyn moaning in delight.

"This is going to hurt the first time ok?" Naruto replied, seeing her hair move up and down Naruto gave a nod and moved closer, the tip now at the entrance. In one entire push Naruto's stick shot into her womanly folds, colliding with her virgin barrier and destroying it before continuing up to her cervix and hitting it, Lyn's letting out a low cry that sounded more like a suppressed scream. "Are you ok Lyn?"

"Give...me a...moment." she replied through breaths of shock and delight, feeling the warm stick now within her. "Naruto, I...love you." she said before feeling Naruto slowly begin to move a little, Lyn turning her head as best she could and giving him a nod to go. "Don't stop..." Lyn added after a moment, her hands now planted on the bed and keeping herself up while Naruto's stick pleasured her love canal while moving her body in rhythm to her lover's movements.

Lyn was in heaven. Due to her Lorca upbringing she was taught by her father that only the strongest would do for a husband while her mother had given her some teachings and advice about how to be a good wife to the one she had chosen to be married to. However neither of them had ventured into the area of sex and it had left Lyn very confused and puzzled as to what happened during it, although she was only sixteen when she was told this the green haired girl had placed it under the category of something to ask when she had the time.

She never got around to it, and now she was having it.

"So big...!" moaned Lyn in delight as Naruto gently squeezed her bum cheeks, making here moan in a tone of sheer lust. "Oh by father sky above..." uttered the green haired girl as Naruto let go of her backside and ran his hands up her body, arriving at her chest and taking a breast each. "N-Naruto...r-release in m-me..." the man heard her say as he could feel himself getting closer to climaxing.

Naruto didn't respond as Lyn felt him begin to thrust harder and faster, the Lorca girl gripping the sheets tightly as he continued his assault on her pussy and breasts. "Lyn, I'm about to...!" Naruto never finished his sentence as Lyn cried out in pleasure as she finally flooded herself with her juices just as Naruto blasted his seed straight into her womb. _'I didn't expect to cum that fast.' _Naruto thought as he let go of her well massaged breasts, feeling his member still blasting seed into her womb that was mixing with her own juices. _'It's a good thing that Keiko placed that pregnancy seal on my waist, otherwise I'd have to deal with children. I'm not ready to be a father just yet.'_ The man thought as he saw Lyn drop onto the bed, breathing heavily but looking delightedly happy.

"Naruto..." Lyn muttered as she felt his member stop flooding her womb. "That felt...nice..." she looked at him as Naruto extracted his stick and smiled, the Lorca girl feeling rather drained of energy. "Thank you...my love...would you...sleep...with...me...?" she muttered before falling asleep, Naruto smiling as he took off his trousers and pulled up his pants.

"Sure." He replied as he joined her in bed, having pulled her under the covers where he could sleep with his new lover who had snuggled up to him. "Good night beautiful." Naruto told her as he wrapped her in his arms and fell asleep, not hearing the door creaking open a few seconds later.

The next morning

The next morning came too quickly for Lyn as she woke up, regaining her bearings after a few seconds. Opening her eyes she saw the sleeping face of the one she loved, and couldn't help but smile at him. However what got her attention was the slightly squished position she was in, the girl looking either side of her to see Florina on her left and Keiko on her right, the girls having grabbed an arm and snuggled into that while Lyn had her arms around his neck, much to her surprise.

"Mm..." Naruto said as he opened his eyes several moments later, seeing Lyn staring at him in confusion. "Good morning Lyn and...girls...?" Naruto could feel the forms of Keiko and Florina each having wrapped themselves around one of his arms while Lyn had her arms around his neck. "Lyn, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Naruto, did we have sex last night?" she asked, her face going pale when Naruto nodded. "Oh goodness...this is bad..." she let go of Naruto and got up, pacing about the room and completely forgetting that she wasn't wearing anything. "This is bad...this is very bad..."

Her mutterings had unfortunately roused both girls from their slumber, who instantly grabbed Naruto's side and moaned before snuggling into it. "I'm sorry Naruto; I guess I should have told you." Lyn said as she took a seat on the bed. "Whenever a woman in the Lorca tribe bonds to another man they are with them until the day they die. Because of last night..."

"You're essentially my wife." Naruto finished, Lyn nodding as she looked downcast. "Hey, don't worry about it Lyn. I know that Keiko would be more than willing to share me with you and Florina, as she was the person who kept on telling me that you and Florina loved me with all your heart." Lyn's eyes widened in surprise before she blushed, Naruto guessing that she had forgotten what Keiko had told her.

"Thanks Naruto for putting my fears to rest." She told him as she stood up, walking over to the wardrobe and taking out a carbon copy of her clothes she had worn yesterday before putting them on. Turning to face Naruto, who was still in only his pants, Lyn smiled as he managed to extract his arms from underneath Florina and Keiko before running them down their backs and grabbing their firm bums, making them moan and disrupt their sleep.

"Lyn, can you open the curtains?" he asked, the female doing so and letting the light beam through the window and hit the two in the face. "Time to get up girls." both girls slowly opened their eyes and squeaked as the sunlight hit them full force in their eyes, Naruto laughing at their misfortune. "Did you enjoy yourselves last night?"

"We did, though we only went for a walk." Keiko informed her lover as he sat up. "Anyway, let's get up. We can have fun later."

After an hour of getting cleaned up, the group of four stood at the entrance gate to castle Caelin. Naruto was heading off for the day to the village down south for personal reasons as he had told Lyn and florina when in actual fact he was after a gift to give to both of his new lovers. "I'll be back soon ok?" he said to the two girls, who both nodded. "Well Keiko, let's go." The dragoness female nodded with a perverse smile before following Naruto as he left.

"So what are you after today Naruto?" questioned Keiko, having a faint idea as to what he was after.

"Do you remember when we were in Ostia?" Naruto replied as they jumped down the hill, seeing a village that they could shop at. "There was a red head who reminded me so much of my mother in her teenage days. When she flirted with me I received a brief premonition of her being assassinated by a man with red hair and an almost impassive look."

"You intend to make one of those special kunai don't you?" Keiko questioned, Naruto nodding. "I have to admit, your father was a genius to create the hiraishin and its child the flying thunder god skill." The man smiled at his lover's praise as they walked into town. "Though I doubt you're going to use a kunai for that."

"You know me too well." Naruto replied as he unsealed his other bag of money, picking up a bag that contained at least fifteen times what Naruto had given Keiko and Florina yesterday. "Now then, where is the local jewellers...ah." he smiled as he saw the store that had various dresses and jewellery in it. "Time to shop." he muttered as he walked in.

"Good day!" spoke a female cheerfully. "How may I help you?"

"Do you happen to sell silver bracelets?" Naruto asked, the woman pointing to a small section where they were held. "Thank you." walking over to them with Keiko Naruto's eyes glanced up and down them. "Hmm...this one?" he picked up one, looking at it for a moment. "No, it's too big. Hey Keiko, can I try it on you?"

"Sure!" she replied, handing out her hand and letting Naruto try it on. "It's a little big." She told him, Naruto giving a small frown before taking it off. "And by wrist sizes I can guess that Leila's is a little smaller than mine."

It was a good ten minutes before Naruto had picked out the perfect one, a plain one that was a little bit tight upon Keiko. After paying a measly three thousand gold for it Naruto left and headed over to the pub to place seals upon it, placing a locater seal that would track wherever it went up to a set distance followed by a transportation seal allowing Naruto to teleport to them and to add to it he added a blinding seal, which would create a flash of light upon appearing.

In effect, this was the basis for the hiraishin that Naruto's father Minato used.

Having tested it with Keiko, Naruto was pleased with the results as he pocketed it and walked outside, only to see Sain talking to an elderly man who handed him a spear. "Naruto!" he exclaimed as he spotted him and charged over. "You have to come help us! Castle Caelin was attacked!"

Naruto and Keiko's grins vanished. "Castle Caelin was...attacked?" Naruto repeated, shaking his head quickly. "Alright, tell me what's happened and make it quick."

"When you left the army of Laus assaulted the castle. Lyn managed to get herself along with me, Florina, Wil and Kent out before anything could happen to us. However lord Hausen was unable to flee in time and Lyn is intent on reclaiming the castle and saving her grandfather."

"Damn it." Naruto stated as he kicked the ground. "Alright, let's get going. We've got no time to waste." Sain nodded as he charged out with Naruto and Keiko running side by side back towards where the group was.

It was time to reclaim the castle.

(A/N: wow, a lot longer than I expected it to be finished in, and I truly apologise to those who have waited patiently. like I said in Path Of The Devil Hunter, I hit a major writer's block and lost interest in writing for a while, though it has gradually died off and I'm back to getting these updated.)

(To those who guessed or thought that Lyn would be in it, well done though I doubt you were suspecting Florina to join Naruto's growing family. The final member of the trio to fall in love with him won't appear until later, so there won't be any sexual action unless stated otherwise. I will give a cookie to those who guess correctly and no, it won't be Leila as I have someone in mind for her.)

(I had to re-write the Lyn love scene as the first way I wrote it was the two doing so in a barn behind the stables. Yeah, I thought it was too weird.)

Review corner:

Fumetsu Kaji: you asked for some music and you got your wish, and thanks for the review.

EXpERieNCed: canon jutsu will come back soon, but Naruto has a repertoire of all jutsu ever created plus the ones he crafted with his own two hands, so it might be a good while before one or two turn up. Also thanks for the suggestion on how to start it; otherwise everyone would be waiting a lot longer for this to turn up. one last thing i forgot is that all characters left the same way they did sans for Erk and Serra. (For obvious reasons.)

Lord Arkan: thanks.

Adolthered: yeah I understand that it's a little confusing, so I've cleaned it up a bit to make it as less confusing as possible. Naruto will refer to Keiko either when they're alone or around people he trusts, and he'll call her by name or by 'sister figure' when he's around those he doesn't know.

(Final A/N: please read, review and comment. And I will hopefully get the next chapter up before the end of July, so you won't have too long to wait. Also, i have a poll up on my page that i'd like you to take a minute to answer. The two with the most votes will be written up as stories, so please cast your vote. Thanks everyone.)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Eliwood grunted as he parried a blow aimed for him from a mercenary, dodging the swing from another and attempting to retaliate only for his strike to be blocked. _'Damn it.' _he thought as his companion Hector joined the fray, hitting one of the mercenaries and pushing him back. "Hector! We need to drive them away!" Eliwood told his companion.

"Not going to be easy." Hector replied as he blocked a blow from one mercenary. "I can't believe we let ourselves get ambushed like this." he growled as the mercenary took a swing and missed him by inches, the blue haired man seeing his chance and attacking his target, hitting him head on and injuring the man. "This is going nowhere!"

"I agree." Said a voice as a horse rider shot in, engaging the two mercenaries and giving Eliwood and Hector a chance to strike them, the mercenaries falling as several more appeared. "Lord Eliwood, perhaps we should pull back. There are clearly too many for us to continue fighting."

"We cannot withdraw. Lyndis is a friend of ours that I will not let down." he spoke as Hector gave his friend a surprised look. "Hector! Let's take them." the man looked a little cautious but nodded as he prepared to engage them.

Darting forward Eliwood was about to attack the mercenary when thousands of lightning bolts tore through the air, colliding with various soldiers under Laus command and killing them outright. _'Only one person has skills to command the elements around him like that.' _thought Eliwood as he saw the culprit and his entourage of companions. "Naruto! It's good to see you are well my friend."

"We heard you came rushing to help us out. Thanks Eliwood, your help is appreciated." The man gave a smile at the praise as Lyn engaged a mercenary in combat. "As I'm guessing you need a strategist you can count upon my mind for these battles. We can rest and relax once the castle is taken." The man nodded as Hector and the paladin looked at Naruto curiously. "You may have seen me around so I'll introduce myself when we have a chance." There was a gurgle as Lyn killed the mercenary, a mage appearing to try his luck against her only for Florina to charge in and prevent him from doing so.

"We shall place our faith in you. Lowen!" the paladin called, a cavalier running up who looked like he was a complete rookie responding to his call. "Stick with lord Eliwood and guard him with your life!"

The rookie gave a nervous nod as Naruto shook his head. "Eliwood, before we get moving I'm going to need to know what units we have." during Naruto's time travelling he had spoken with Pent who had discussed about what each unit was and what they could wield and use. The man was surprised to hear that there was no all-round unit that could use all four weapon forms, and there were only two people in existence that could use all four paths of magic effectively.

Eliwood nodded. "In our group we have Dorcas and Bartre, both of whom are axe fighters, a swordsman called Guy, a nimble fingered young man called Matthew, a cleric called Serra, a troubadour named Priscilla, a mage called Erk, an archer named Rebecca, our heavy hitting knight Oswin, Marcus the paladin and his subordinate Lowen and finally me and Hector. We also have Merlinus, who is a merchant and has no fighting skills but takes care of our items." He told him as all of the others came up to them, Lyn's group standing with Naruto as everyone else stood with Eliwood and Hector.

"It's good to see some familiar faces." Naruto received a couple of smiles from that. "However we can talk properly once the castle is liberated. I've decided upon three groups that will rotate and work together to overcome this challenge, but before that Marcus will guard the tent from enemy attack." The man nodded a few times, knowing that he'd need to leave the fighting to the others from time to time. "The first group will consist of Eliwood, Bartre, Lowen, Serra and Erk, with Eliwood as the squad leader. The second group will have Hector, Kent, Sain, Guy, Rebecca and Wil, Hector being the squad leader. Everyone else is with me as a support group to assist the other two teams should they get into trouble."

'_That's quite a varied group.' _thought several people.

"The last thing I will say is this; don't be afraid to pull back. You can't fight if a wound is serious or fatal even, and I don't want any of you to die on me. Eliwood, Hector, let's get moving. That castle won't liberate itself." Everyone who had their orders moved into position and got moving, Eliwood's team moving alongside Hector's team while Naruto's group stayed behind them to support them should they run into trouble.

Eliwood's group was the first to encounter resistance, as a good few Laus soldiers had done the same. One knight was quick to react to Erk, thinking because he was a mage he had an easy kill. What he got was the quickest spell of thunder ever to strike him and kill him, seizing up every muscle in his body and frying him from inside out, his armour doing nothing to help the matter. A cavalier saw his chance to strike Serra when four well placed arrows struck him, two from each archer on Hector's squad while a myrmidon engaged Bartre, the axe using man realising he was at a disadvantage until Eliwood joined in and gave Bartre the opening he needed to kill him, but not before he took a wound on his free arm.

Serra saw this and moved to his side, healing him up. "Thanks!" he said before joining Lowen in taking down a mercenary who was fighting against the cavalier on an equal footing.

Hector's squad was having far less problems. Any enemy unit that approached the group was struck by an arrow fired from either Wil or Rebecca and then dispatched by Kent, Sain or Hector. The group knew that they had the weakness of no healer, though that was remedied when Matthew and Priscilla came up to them. "My lord!" Matthew said as he arrived at his side, Priscilla giving Kent and Sain a nod of support. "We're here to help!"

"Hector!" came Naruto's voice, the man turning around to face him. "Take your group and head southwards. Go around the village and try to get in a pincer attack." The blue haired man nodded to Naruto's words as Florina flew to Naruto's side, holding a heavy lance in one hand that was easily too heavy for her and a red gem in the other. "Eliwood! Take Serra, Bartre and Lowen and join Hector's group to assist him. Erk! You're with me!"

The groups nodded and split up, forming into two teams that began to move, Naruto's group stopping just south of the mountains while Hector's squad went south for a pincer attack. Naruto rushed in alongside Lyn, Dorcas, Florina and Oswin to engage the small number of units in front of them, the blonde haired immortal taking down the fighter that attempted for a direct attack only to have his entire rib cage crushed in one blow as another one fell to Lyn, her sword having decapitated her opponent.

Oswin and Florina were fighting a cavalier, who had some decent skill in hitting and dodging until a bolt of thunder struck him from Erk and gave Oswin the chance to spin his lance around and impale him with it, the man going down and not getting back up. "We've got ourselves a problem." Oswin noted as several axe users came along. "Naruto, should we engage them?"

"No, I will." Naruto spoke as his hands went together, Florina going wide eyed before grabbing the knight and moving him out of the way. "Fire release! Fireball jutsu!" Naruto called out as he took in a deep breath and breathed out a huge ball of fire, easily half the size of the castle that shot towards the Laus soldiers and completely incinerated them. "Uh...oops. I used too much chakra." He admitted sheepishly as he turned to face them, Oswin's eyes nearly bulging out of his head that Naruto could do such a thing.

Oswin nearly jumped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder, the culprit being Dorcas. "The things that Naruto can do are far beyond what we can." He told him, Oswin nodding as Florina plummeted towards a thief, her lance making quick work of him. "You'll have a chance to question him when the castle is liberated."

As the group headed out they were joined by the other group, the lords exchanging a nod with Naruto and merging together before heading north to engage the approaching units. Bartre, Guy Oswin, Lowen, Hector and Eliwood took the front as Kent and Sain were stopped from assisting them by Naruto. "Marcus is going to need your help. Go and assist himand I'll send Florina to collect you once the castle gates are done." Both riders gave him a nod before riding off to help the paladin, Naruto watching as Guy evaded a swing from a bandit and back-flipped, momentarily moving like the wind and slicing him in half, his sword shattering straight after. "Guy!" flipping up a sword that was near him Naruto caught it back-handed and chucked it to him, the young man shooting towards it and catching it just in the nick of time as a sword attempted to wound him, the blow hitting but damaging his right arm.

Luckily enough Florina noticed Guy's predicament and shot in, hitting the man in the shoulder and disabling him as Guy swung his sword, finishing him off. "Damn it, I got careless..." muttered the green haired teen as he pulled back, Serra instantly moving to his side and activating her staff of heal. "Thank you." he told her before returning to the front, carrying the iron sword that Naruto had tossed him. _'It's quite used but it'll keep me going at the very least.' _He thought as he engaged in battle with a fighter who had been giving Oswin a hard time.

Further ahead Lowen was fighting off another cavalier with Hector and Eliwood, the cavalier in question giving them a rough time. "Gah! Lord Eliwood!" Lowen remarked as the cavalier shot in, the two lords nodding to each other and dodging the attack before retaliating, Lowen seeing his chance as Eliwood and Hector's weapons prevented them from taking a wound. "Now's my chance." The knight told himself before charging in, lance in hand and managing to impale him through the arm, Hector and Eliwood backing off before they both jumped and attacked, Eliwood's sword wounding him badly as Hector's axe sliced off his arm.

Just as Lowen thought he would have a moment's reprieve to recover a bolt of lightning caught him off guard and struck him, the man crying out in pain as his muscles seized up. "Lowen!" Eliwood shouted as his mount took the blow as well, neighing loudly as it fell to the ground. "Damn it!" he shouted as the group came up, Naruto seeing what had happened and shooting forward. "Naruto, is there anything you can do?"

"Get rid of that mage." Naruto told him as he turned his attention to Lowen, placing his hands on his armour. "You're going to feel discomfort but you'll be fine." he told him, Lowen nodding the best he could as the mage was assaulted by various units and reduced to a bloody corpse within seconds. "Ninja art. Divine mystical palm." His hands exploded into a green colour that looked exquisitely beautiful as Lowen felt his muscles recover, and even the tension that had sometimes messed up his training seemingly unbind. When he was back to full health Naruto's hands, still green, touched the horse and flooded it with his medical ability, restoring the wounds that the chestnut coloured horse had taken.

"A thousand thanks upon you Naruto." the green haired rider told him as he got to his feet, the horse getting up into a sitting position.

"Don't worry about it, these things happen. Just keep aware of your surroundings and you'll come out better." he told him, the man nodding as his horse stood up and gave its version of a grin to him. "And you're very welcome as well." everyone around let out a laugh as the horse gave him a neigh before Lowen climbed onto its back and held his lance and sword. "Eliwood, Hector, Lyn, the three of you can take it from here. Serra, Priscilla, be ready to heal up the lords if trouble arises."

The lords nodded to each other and shot forward, running immediately into an archer that fired off an arrow at Lyn, who used her expert skill to cut the arrow in half before slicing off the archer's arm followed by his head in one strike. Hector and Eliwood however ran into a knight that was wearing different colour armour. "You think you can win? Hah! You shall be the first to die!" he shouted as the two lords charged in, Lyn engaging another bandit who was trying to flee.

As the bandit fell Lyn turned her attention to the lords who were faring quite well against the knight, who couldn't keep up with the sword skill or Eliwood or the strength that Hector had. Lyn gave a smile as Hector struck him hard in his armour and shattered part of it, revealing his chest that Eliwood saw as an opportunity and struck, missing by inches. Lyn saw the chance and charged in, her sword hitting the other part of the armour and destroying it as Hector swung his axe once, the man's head rolling off his shoulders.

"Good, we've secured the castle." Eliwood spoke as most of the group came up, Hector noticing that Matthew wasn't with them. "Lyn, until we take the castle I'll take full responsibility."

"Thank you Eliwood." Lyn replied as Naruto walked up to them, Lyn wrapping herself in Naruto's arms and kissing her new lover using her tongue, Naruto returning it with his own. "If it's not for you I wouldn't know where to be right now." she added when she broke for some air.

"It's no trouble." He replied, waving it off dismissively. "However I have a question. You, Naruto and Keiko seem...very close...why?" he received a look from Keiko that Naruto knew meant trouble, and he grabbed her and wrapped her in his arms alongside Lyn.

"Lyn and Florina agreed to share Naruto with me. He loves us all equally, and as long as we can get on with each other then we've got nothing to fight over." She told Eliwood. _'Considering the fact that I'm the alpha bitch, and I'm bi-sexual to boot.' _She added mentally as Florina landed next to them, jumping from her mount straight into the arms of Lyn, Keiko and Naruto.

"I see. My apologies, I did not mean to question your relationship, as it was a little sudden." He replied politely, accepting the answer as he had heard several cases of this about two or more women falling in love with the same man.

"Don't worry about it, since it's not common knowledge." Naruto informed him, the man giving a nod. "Now all we have to wait for is Merlinus, Marcus, Kent, Sain and Matthew before we storm the castle." Seeing his confused expression about the last name Naruto elaborated. "I've ordered the teen to go collect the weapons of the fallen. If anything we can sell them for some extra money or use them if your main weapon chooses to shatter at a critical moment."

'_Why did I never think of that?'_ Eliwood mentally told himself. "Ok, we can-ah! Marcus. It's good to see you are back." the man gave a smile as he returned with Merlinus, Kent and Sain carrying most of the gear. "We're waiting for Matthew to return so we can move into the castle."

"Of course my lord." He replied before turning to Kent and Sain. "The way you two fought today when those cavaliers arrived was very surprising. Who taught you to fight like that?" both knights smiled to each other before looking to Naruto, who had engrossed in conversation with the girls. "Ah, Naruto did. I understand. Hmm...maybe he could give some tutelage to Lowen while I fight on the frontlines..."

"My lord." Spoke a voice as Matthew reappeared next to Naruto, holding a massive amount of weapons that he promptly dropped, considering he was holding a good twenty something weapons. "Some of the townspeople gave me these weapons to help us liberate the castle. I've been unable to separate the damaged from what's new."

"You did well Matthew. Take a sword for yourself since you're going to need it in the next area, as the castle has a few doors and chests that need...attention." Matthew gave a cheerful smile as he picked up a sword and nodded. "Ok everyone! The townspeople have been gracious enough to give us several weapons to help us out. All of you grab a weapon that you're proficient with so we can do this." everyone nodded and moved to the pile, picking up a spare weapon that they could use, though Erk only picked up a book of thunder that the dead mage had dropped.

After a good minute of weapon sorting everyone was armed with at least one weapon, even Serra and Priscilla who had both gotten a spare staff of heal, the group moved into the castle itself to liberate it. _'There's no-one about on the streets...'_ Naruto thought as he saw the various houses and places locked up tight. "Lyn, what happened to the soldiers?" he asked as they arrived at the base of the stairs.

"Half of them were killed in the surprise attack." She told him. "So how shall we do this?"

"The first objective is to get to the throne room as quickly as possible. Lowen, Marcus, Kent and Sain will make up the charge force, so you won't have much back-up. Oswin, Guy, Bartre, Serra and Rebecca will guard Merlinus from attacks. Matthew, you go with Erk and Wil to get the doors and chests if there are any about. Finally everyone who I haven't said will be with me to free the prisoners and continue onto the throne room." he took a deep breath, knowing that the place was probably littered with corpses. "Let's move."

Kent, Sain, Lowen and Marcus shot in with their weapons ready, the two mercenaries either side of the knight going down as Lowen charged at the knight, clashing lances twice before Marcus threw a handaxe at him, slamming into his stomach and allowing Lowen to finish him. _'No need to panic. This is war.'_ thought the green haired rider as he continued onwards with the other three, Marcus having picked up his handaxe beforehand.

"Lowen! Don't let your guard down." Marcus instructed his student as Kent and Sain engaged the cavaliers ahead of them that had a few archers with them. The man nodded as he saw Kent and Sain take a barrage of arrows and knew he had to help them. Quickly darting past Marcus Lowen attacked them both, killing one with a well aimed stab of his lance to the archer's head while the other pulled back to attack him only to fall when Marcus chucked his handaxe at him, slamming into his chest and leaving him with a fatal wound. "You are doing good Lowen. When this day is done we shall do some training to better ourselves against threats like these." He added with a master-to-student smile.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Sain interrupted as the cavaliers fell and more replaced them. Marcus and Lowen looked at each other and nodded before joining in with the battle, taking on a cavalier each. Marcus took his down with ease as Lowen struggled, a near miss making him realise that he was too tense. His moment's reprieve came when a bolt of lightning struck the cavalier while an arrow injured another, giving Kent the chance to finish off his opponent.

As the coast was clear Naruto's squad came up to them. "Change of plans everyone." He called out, stopping them from continuing for a moment. "Lyn, Hector, Eliwood, you three will join the riders to assault the throne. The rest of us will free the prisoners." Lyn gave Naruto a smile before joining the group, Hector and Eliwood both holding an iron weapon of their proficiency and nodding before taking off with the others to get to the throne room. "Matthew, Wil, Erk, there's a door up ahead that may have a treasure chest or two behind it. Once you've gotten whatever's in there pull back and team up with the tent guardian group."

The three teens gave Naruto a nod before charging off after the knights and lords, passing by two dead corpses that had no weapons with them. The group took a quick right and walked down a hallway that was big enough for only one person, arriving at the cells. "Ok everyone, stand back." Naruto told them, the group moving away as Naruto's fist collided with the door, damaging it and giving him the momentum to pull it off and reveal the guards looking very relieved. "Lucius!" Naruto exclaimed surprised as the man walked out, an injured companion being supported by him. "It's good to see you again good friend."

"The same to you Naruto." he replied as he helped the red headed man out, various wounds all over him and a broken steel sword at his side. "This is my travelling companion Raven. Can you...?" his question was answered as they walked to the group, Priscilla gasping as she shot forward on her mount to help Raven out while the guards were tended to by the others.

"P-Priscilla...?" the red headed man spoke as she jumped off and began tending to his wounds, Naruto looking at the man and being instantly reminded of Gaara in his Kazekage outfit during the war. "W-why are you...here?" he questioned as she began to recover his wounds, the man very slowly regaining his strength. "I thought you..."

"Brother, don't speak. You'll only hurt yourself." She instructed him softly, the man relaxing and remaining quiet. "We can talk after this." she told him, both happiness and delight flowing through her eyes as Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, Priscilla turning to face him and receiving a nod of approval. "T-thank you strategist Naruto." she said to him calmly, the other guards looking ready to fight as their wounds were patched up.

"Everyone." Naruto spoke, getting their attention. "I'm going to go on ahead. Dorcas, Rath, Florina, I'm counting on you to take care of the wounded here. Keiko, you stay with them." the green haired girl pouted cutely, Naruto practically melting at her facial expression. "Don't give me that look beautiful. I'll be back shortly." Keiko's pout vanished and replaced itself with a confident smile alongside a nod. "Once the throne is secure I'll get someone to come back and inform you all." Seeing the group nod Naruto took off, walking out of the small hallway and heading towards the throne room, passing by an open door that had two opened chests within it.

"Grandfather!" cried out Lyn as Naruto arrived in the throne room, seeing the dead corpse of a general and Sain and Kent talking with Marcus and Lowen. "Grandfather! Where are you?"

"Eliwood. On the throne..." Hector spoke as he showed them a red liquid that Naruto easily recognised as. "It's blood."

"B-blood!" shouted Lyn, Naruto moving to her side and grabbing her to calm the nineteen year old girl down. "N-no...grandfather!"

"Lyn calm down! He may only be injured." Naruto assured her, Lyn taking a breath of air and nodding in his arms. "We should..." he trailed off as he spotted someone, who was very well concealed. "Don't hide from us Leila. I know it's you." there was an impromptu squeak as Leila walked out of the shadows, blushing slightly that she had been caught.

"Lady Lyndis, your grandfather is in the kitchen receiving treatment for his wounds." She told her, Lyn looking worried. "His life is yet his own." the green haired woman sighed happily, relieved that her grandfather was safe and sound. "I am Leila, a spy who works for Ostia."

"What are you doing here?" asked Eliwood, slightly wary about the red head in front of him.

"I've been posing as a member of the black fang for several months when lord Elbert went missing." Leila began.

"My father?" Eliwood spoke in surprise. "What have you learned?"

"Let's talk somewhere more private." She said before she walked off towards the nearby bedroom.

"One minute." Naruto spoke as he got the two knights attention. "Get everyone up to here so they can recover their wounds. Sain, head to the tent. Kent, go and get the prisoners that are free." Both knights nodded and headed off on their mounts to do their job while Lowen was looking a little downcast. "Lowen." Naruto called out, the man looking up. "You fought well today. Good job." He grinned at the man who looked flabbergasted at being praised.

It didn't take long for everyone to move into the throne room, the tent group looking a little beaten up or injured but nothing too bad. The other group were looking a little better as Keiko left them and pounced her lover, kissing him on the cheek with a perverse smile. "Marcus, you're in charge here while the lords and I talk. Make sure everyone is healed up." the man nodded as Naruto turned to face the lord trio. "Let's go."

"First things first." Spoke Leila when they had all gotten seats, Lyn and Keiko sitting on Naruto's legs and snuggling into him. "Lord Elbert is alive." there was a cheer from Hector as Naruto smiled to the good news. "I've been posing as a member of the black fang for several months. That's where I got this information. I believe it is true."

"Black fang...they're the guild of assassins that Erik spoke of." Eliwood said aloud, looking at Hector who confirmed his words with a nod.

"Yes, we've known about their existence for quite some time." She replied.

"Explain."

"The black fang is a guild of assassins founded around ten years ago by Brendan Reed. They're based in Bern. Their arms reached quickly in several other countries. Originally, they targeted only nobles who abused their positions. The masses saw them as chivalrous, defenders of the common man. Their activities found wide support." she explained, her words being cut off as a loud squeal grabbed their attention as they turned to see Naruto get assaulted by his two girlfriends.

"Don't mind me." he told them, Leila shaking her head at their interaction with a slight smile.

"Then about a year ago, Brendan got married again. The Black Fang's operations have slowly changed since then. Now they'll take on any target, no matter how difficult, as long as they're paid. And they're no longer killing criminals; anyone is a fair target."

"Are the black fang responsible for what happened to my grandfather?" questioned Lyn from the bed as Naruto sat back up, both girls now receiving a one handed massage to their delight.

"Yes. We've learned of a mysterious man named Nergal, behind Reed's wife. It seems the Black Fang is performing secret tasks across Lycia for Nergal. Nergal's trusted retainer Ephidel is with Marquess Laus. He is the one responsible for manipulating Laus into hatching the rebellion plot against Ostia. The first person to respond to the call was...Marquess Santaruz."

"Lord Helman..." Eliwood spoke under his breath, though Naruto and Keiko heard him. "Why would you..."

"Next was Lord Elbert, Marquess Pherae."

"Are you telling me that my father endorsed this plan?" Eliwood asked in disbelief.

"I cannot say. I do know that he is with Marquess Laus currently. In a place called...the dragon's gate." Seeing his confused expression she elaborated. "It's on an isle called Valor, off the southern coast of Lycia. I apologise but that is all the information I have."

Clearing his throat Naruto stood up, Lyn and Keiko sliding off him and standing next to him. "That brings us to the bit of information that I have. The black fang has four elite members that work directly underneath Brendan, all of them being skilled in their art of killing." Naruto explained causing Leila, Hector and Eliwood to go wide eyed as did Lyn. "When I was coming back here the four of them alongside a woman named Sonia ambushed us, stating that 'by the law of the fang I had to die' which did not happen."

"Did you get their names?" asked Leila, Naruto nodding.

"The first I fought was a man named Lloyd Reed, known as the white wolf. His brother was Linus Reed, also called the rabid hound. The final man with them was named Jaffar, called the angel of death. Keiko faced against Sonia and the last member Ursula, known as the blue crow. Keiko and I managed to flee from their sight when we distracted them through unorthodox means though Jaffar managed to get a hit in, though the strike was abysmal." He showed his arm where Jaffar had struck, showing a faint stab wound.

"This...changes many things." Leila told them as Naruto took out something. "Is there anything else-wait, w-what are you d-doing?" Leila blushed red as Naruto took her hand and placed a bracelet over it, the accessory fitting her perfectly. _'Why is he giving me this? Actually...it's beautiful.' _She thought as Naruto drew her close and whispered something in her ear, her eyes going wide before he whispered something else and let her go. "Thank you Naruto. I will cherish it forever."

"You're welcome." Naruto told her before turning to the rest of the group. "How are we going to get to Valor?"

"The quickest way would be through Badon, though I doubt there is anyone who would take us there. It's earned its name the dread isle by destroying all boats that got near it." Eliwood explained to him as Keiko and Lyn both smiled, knowing Naruto had such a plan to see this through. "Naruto, do you have a plan?"

"Not at the moment." He told them. "For now though, we'll rest and heal up our wounds and make a move either tonight or tomorrow depending on how bad the injuries are." he looked to Leila, who frowned as she thought of something.

"I shall have to leave shortly. If I'm not back in time they might suspect something..." she trailed off before turning to Lyn. "Lady Lyndis, it would be prudent to let the world think Lord Hausen is dead. If the fang learn he lived they may try for another attempt at his life." Lyn nodded in agreement to her words.

There was a pause as no-one knew what to say, though they didn't need words as Eliwood, Hector and Naruto all had more or less the same thoughts. "We'll leave for Badon at sundown." Eliwood told them, Naruto nodding in agreement to that plan. "Hopefully we can arrive there in the morning if we set up camp not too far from there." Hector looked a little unhappy at that as he turned to speak with Leila, only to realise that she wasn't there anymore.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's see how the others are doing." the group left the room to see the various people getting their wounds treated or doing some sparring, Lowen being taught how to use the sword and lance better by Kent and Sain. Marcus was talking to Oswin about a few things while everyone else had busied themselves with something, though Naruto wasn't surprised to see Bartre and Dorcas talking to each other.

"It is good to see you again Naruto." Dorcas spoke as Eliwood and Hector joined Marcus and Oswin to discuss some things. "I have heard of your exploits over on the western isles. From what I know of your skills, only someone like you would do something so risky."

Naruto smiled sheepishly as Florina walked over, her Pegasus Huey sitting on the ground with the other horses. "That's just like you Naruto, always one to put yourself out to help others no matter what." Keiko said happily as Lyn and florina both smiled at him. "How's your wife...Natalie?"

"She is doing very well ever since her injury passed. I am also expecting to be a father in the next six months." He told them, Lyn and Florina going wide eyed before clapping happily.

"Congratulations." Naruto spoke for the girls, Dorcas breaking his impassive look to smile at them. "Do you know what you're expecting?" the man held up two fingers to the surprise of Lyn and Florina. "You're expecting two bundles of joy? May good fortune bless you with a happy life." Lyn looked at Naruto with a slight hint of amazement as Florina took one of Naruto's arms and wrapped herself in it, the man drawing her close to him where she snuggled into his chest.

The man gave Naruto and the girls a nod before turning back to his axe using companion and restarting the conversation with him as a purple haired mage got their attention. "Always one to study hard aren't you Erk?" Naruto told him, the teenager closing the book and smiling slightly at Naruto as Lyn received an arm around her.

"It's good to see you Naruto and your...lover Keiko." He told them, blushing ever so slightly when Keiko gave him a perverse smile. "How have things been ever since the Etrutia incident?" Erk was one of the many people who were in the throne room when Naruto walked into the room with the queen, and he was possibly the most shocked person at Naruto's actions and especially so when Keiko had been the person to help the queen through her childbirth, which happened three weeks later. "Hmm? Naruto, why do you have...?" he pointed to Lyn and Florina who had wrapped each other in their arms and his and glued themselves to his chest.

"Lyn and Florina became my lovers yesterday when they confessed to both falling in love with me. We also did some love making to make it official." Naruto told him, both girls moaning as he squeezed their backsides. "I'm surprised you haven't got a girlfriend yet. You're a nice enough person."

"I..." stammered Erk as Naruto and Keiko laughed at him. "I haven't really been...girlfriend hunting." He admitted, blushing a bit as he looked down.

"Don't worry about it. That special someone is out there." Naruto assured him, the teen looking up and nodding before heading off to do some studying as Marcus walked over. "Marcus right? How can I help you?"

"I wish to ask you something, namely the way you taught Kent and Sain the basics of how to fight. I would like to know why you taught them to begin fighting when they are not on horseback rather than begin on horseback." He explained, looking at Lyn and Florina who had seemingly gone to sleep on Naruto's chest.

"I taught them the basics of fighting off horse about a year ago and told them to basically add their skill and strengths to what they already knew to improve in case of an emergency." Naruto explained, Marcus looking a little unimpressed. "It'll be easier for you to understand if you spar with them both on and off horseback. You'll find something out, I know they both realised a couple of things."

"I think I'll do that Naruto. Thank you for your insight." He replied with a smile, Naruto returning it. "If you'll excuse me I think Lowen can do with sparring a bit with them both." The man retreated back to his position and began to talk with Lowen as Naruto turned to Eliwood.

"We'll leave within the hour." He told Naruto as both girls gave a moan of disappointment, Eliwood looking at them and smiling in amusement. "You're very popular with the ladies Naruto. Perhaps you can give me some tips sometime on how to be the perfect ladies man."

"Eliwood!" spoke Hector as he walked over. "When are we going? It's getting boring just waiting around." he asked, completely ignoring Naruto though the man didn't really seem to mind as Keiko's backside was slowly starting to turn him on.

"If you'll excuse me I have something to take care of. I'll be in my room." Naruto told the group before vanishing in a puff of smoke with the three girls, Eliwood and Hector looking at the position he was just at before shrugging and continuing the conversation they were going to have.

Three hours later

The large group arrived at a town that was no more than one hour's walk away from the port town of Badon. In addition to the group that had liberated the castle they had picked up two more faces, the travelling monk Lucius who was part of Lyndis' legion one year pervious and a troubled mercenary called Raven, who was the brother of the troubadour Priscilla that had gone missing for a long time.

"If my memory recalls correctly this town is notably known for having very good inns." Eliwood told Naruto, who was walking alongside him near the front. "The innkeepers are also related by cousins so word of them is quite well known." Naruto gave a nod and a smile as they walked up the desolate street, the only open places being the inn on the left and the rather lively pub at the top of the road on the right.

"Let's go to the inn. I'll get you all checked in while I scout out for some information." Naruto told Eliwood who nodded as they pushed open the large door to the inn, the place being quite empty apart from the innkeepers and several maids and waiters. "Good-"

"Oh my goodness!" squealed a girl's voice as a young girl saw Naruto, her eyes wide in delight and amazement. "It's the hero of Etrutia! The hero of Etrutia! It's him daddy!" the girl flew straight into his leg as everyone walked inside, looking a little bit tired. "My hero!"

"Celina! Give the man some room!" the man at the counter told her, the girl squeaking and letting go of him before charging over to her father's side as Naruto walked up to the counter. "Sorry about her. Ever since she heard of what you did she's been eager to meet you." Naruto simply waved it off and gave him a smile. "So everyone here needs rooms? Hah! That's no problem for us. Firstly are there any horses?"

"Six in total with one Pegasus." Naruto told him.

"Easily accommodated for. Nathan, take care of them." a waiter stepped forward and gave a bow before heading off to sort out the horses, three maids going with him. "Anyone sharing rooms?" Naruto gave a nod as Lyn, Florina and Keiko all walked up to his side, smiling. "You lucky man. I'll sort you out with a room you won't forget, and that goes for the lords as well. And before you ask about the pay, don't worry. We've heard of Lord Elbert's so called disappearance and we want to help out in any way possible."

"Our eternal gratitude." Eliwood spoke as the man took down slips of paper that had a number and a letter on them and handed them around.

"Also, breakfast is served at sunrise so if you're up then you'll get a finely cooked meal. If not we'll give you some rations to go on." the man told them, Naruto giving the man a nod of thanks as his daughter ran up to him, Naruto going down onto one knee and ruffling her hair, the girl squealing in delight before taking off. "I won't hear the end of that." He told Naruto who shared a laugh. "See you all in the morning."

Everyone headed upstairs to their various rooms which contained a large bed to accommodate them and also a wardrobe that was empty and a chest of drawers to put anything they had on them. Naruto's room however had a bed big enough for him and his three girlfriends along with two wardrobes and several chests of drawers to hold their things. "Girls." Naruto told them as they sat on the bed, looking up at him. "I'm going to head out to the pub to get some information. I'll be back shortly." the three girls nodded as Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, Keiko turning on the girls and placing a hand upon their fleshy rear and squeezing firmly, two loud squeaks and red faces being the answer she was after.

Appearing outside the inn Naruto walked up the road at a brisk pace, the wind blowing around him as he quickly made his way to the pub. He didn't intend to stay long, just have a quick chat with the barkeeper and get out of there and return to his room. Walking into the pub he saw the place was in full swing with various men holding arms and happily singing together. It reminded him of the night where Shikamaru announced he was getting married to Temari in front of everyone, and he felt a sense of happiness in his heart for what he had seen though he only remembered that night as being one of the best of his life.

"What's yer poison mate?" questioned the barkeeper, a brute of a man that had some scars and bruises of his own.

"Give me something strong." Naruto told him, the barkeeper vanishing to get his drink. "Cheers." Naruto told him when he returned, the blonde haired man knocking back a mouthful. "Damn, good stuff." He added as he paid for it. "Quick question. Is anything going to be on tomorrow?"

"Only the market." The barkeeper replied as the shouts began to erupt, Naruto downing his drink and giving him a nod before slipping away as the pub erupted into chaos and fights broke out.

'_Only the market eh? Hmm...that gives me an idea...'_ thought Naruto as he walked down the road, the sounds of fighting dying off as he walked away from the pub. Disappearing in a swirl of leaves Naruto appeared outside his room and opened the door, seeing three lumps underneath the quilt and muffled sounds of moaning and panting. Throwing his coat off to the wardrobe where it stuck to the corner Naruto threw the cover up to see both Lyn and Florina with their heads at Keiko's breasts, the dragoness with her hands at Lyn and Florina's womanhood.

"Come to us Naruto..." Keiko spoke lustfully as Lyn and Florina turned to face him, lust in their eyes and upon their faces. "Satisfy our needs..." Naruto just smiled as he was pulled underneath the quilt and the moans and groans resumed with a couple of passionate cries of delight to add to the current atmosphere.

The next morning

Naruto gave a smile as he sat at the table, his stomach full of a well cooked breakfast. Lyn, Florina and Keiko sat with him, having woken up early from a passionate night of love making that left the three girls very happy and satisfied. "Now that is a breakfast that I call delicious." Naruto told them, the three girls nodding. "Onto a more serious note, the market is on this morning and I plan to pick up a few items for future use, namely a couple of promotional items."

Naruto had read up about promotion items when he was studying with Athos. Born of a unique power no-one knew where they came from but they did know that the items would promote the user into a better class as long as they filled the requirements for it. Naruto had learned what item worked for each person and had learned of three legendary crests called heaven seals, supposedly rumoured to be for only the truly talented of the talented. What had shocked Naruto was that each item, when used upon said person, actually shaped them up and turned them into a much better class with major outstanding benefits.

"What do you plan on getting?" Lyn asked, knowing of a few that were definitely worth a promotion into a much better class. "And who for?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Naruto told her with a sly smile as he heard the sounds of footsteps above him. "Everyone's getting up. Shall we go see the market?" the girls nodded eagerly and followed Naruto as he left the table, giving a wave of thanks to the man at the counter and his daughter, who returned it with gusto as they left the inn.

"Wow, the market's already going." Keiko commented as they walked together in a group to find the stall selling the promotion items. "We've already got a Knight's crest and a hero's crest, so another one of them each should be enough." Turning to look at Florina the girl blushed as Keiko gave a small frown. "An Elysian whip and an Orion's bolt wouldn't go amiss either. Oh yeah! We can't forget about the magic users."

As they walked up to one stall the man eyed them suspiciously as Naruto saw the promotion items. "These genuine?" Naruto asked, the man giving a nod. He looked the cross between a merchant and a brute, and excelling in neither area. Naruto knew he wasn't lying by his body posture. "Hmm..." picking up each item in turn Naruto channelled a bit of chakra through them and saw them react to him before placing them down. "I'll take the knight's crest, the hero's crest, the whip, the golden bolt and two of those rings." The man gave a nod as Naruto turned around, unsealing a massive wad of cash that had been given to him by the king of Etrutia and also that which he had earned in his time at the arena in Etrutia and buying them all, the man looking both amazed and satisfied that he had received a good customer as Naruto handed the money to him, picking up the items and pocketing them as the man looked very happy to have the sixty thousand gold that it cost to buy them in his hand.

"Marcus would blow a fuse if he learned just how much money you really had." Keiko told Naruto with a giggle, Lyn looking at Naruto confused before she moved close to her. "He has over one hundred thousand gold after buying that, and all a fifth of that was given generously to him by the king. The rest the two of us earned." Lyn's jaw, alongside Florina's jaw, unhinged and dropped causing Keiko to giggle as they walked back into the inn to meet up with the others, who were having their morning breakfast.

"Good morning Naruto." Eliwood said warmly as they ate their breakfast, a soup of some sort from what Naruto could see. "You're up early."

"The hustle and bustle of the market, in addition to this one." he placed an arm around Keiko. "Accidentally woke me up by dragging me onto the floor with her and my beautiful girls in my arms." Keiko blushed in embarrassment as Eliwood gave a chuckle at his misfortune. "Once we've eaten then we can get going as I don't really want to stay here for too long."

"Understandable." Eliwood told them as Hector finished off his food and patted his stomach happily, the red haired man speeding up his eating so they could leave and get to Badon quicker. _'Don't worry father. I'll rescue you soon so hold on.'_ he thought as he coughed on his bread, taking a deep breath and continuing with his food.

Within ten minutes the group was standing at the gates to the village that they had resided in for the night, everyone looking up the road that held the market with the fond memory of the inn they had stayed in. They didn't need words to explain their mood; they were going to miss this place without question. "Let's get going." Naruto spoke in a tone of strength and confidence, the group nodding and one by one, heading towards the port town of Badon to catch a ship towards the Dread Isle.

Something told Naruto that they were going to be there longer than he expected.

A/N: another chapter done for you all and just in time as well. For anyone who hasn't read my profile, I put up a note that I'd be going on hiatus to sort out some major family problems. That won't happen until the end of the month, so I'm hoping to get Path Of The Devil Hunter's sixth chapter up before the 31st where I'll be on hiatus for a month to a month and a half.

Review Corner:

EXpERieNCed: thanks!

sh8ad8ow: you'll definitely see me finish this.

Lord Arkan: Fiora...isn't the last girl sadly. I am placing her with a green haired rider you all know quite well. Karla is to be with Bartre. (I always saw them together, and not just because Fir is Bartre and Karla's daughter.)

Phnxfyr1 and KingOfTheIceLord: well, you both wanted more, and here you are.

Yuri-Hime-Chan: Naruto would...if he wasn't so dense. Chapter 4 explains the relationship with Lyn and Florina and why.

Final A/N: thanks to everyone who reviewed and favourite my story. Please Read, Review and if you have any questions send me a PM and I'll tell you what I can without revealing too much.

Enjoy the rest of summer everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Naruto stood on the edge of the pier, looking over the waters that they were yet to cross on a boat. It had been four days since they had left castle Caelin, and three days since they had arrived at Badon. It was a lovely afternoon with the sun being hidden behind a cloud or two now and then to break up the heat, and Naruto had to admit he was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon.

The day the group had arrived Naruto learned that there was an arena in town, a location that had big risks with big rewards. Before half the group could run off to go fight they were stopped by a wall of ice that Naruto brought up, telling them exactly what was going to happen before they went off to do their own thing. When the three lords and Naruto spoke with the locals they informed him that the water was too rough, so no boats could effectively set sail without taking damage.

When Naruto told them about the location the group wanted to go to they looked at him as if he was insane though both Eliwood and Hector came to his aid, the locals telling them, much to the anger of Lyn that Naruto helped calm, that their best bet would be pirates. The downside was that there wasn't any in town for three more days, where the waters would calm relatively down during that time and give them passage to where they needed to go.

When the lords and Naruto returned to the group the blonde haired man had agreed to let them go to the arena to fight, placing up a rotor that would have one person do a single fight in there then pull out to be healed up while another person went in to take their turn. There was a couple of close cases, namely with Bartre, Raven and Guy, but they had managed to make full recoveries by the evening. When it finally did hit nightfall the group headed into the inn that had been booked by Naruto for a good night's sleep, Lyn and Florina both receiving the most delightful massage of their lives before going to sleep with him and waking up on Naruto's warm body.

The next day was rather surprising for them as they ran into a man called Canas, who was a shaman, a person capable of using dark magic. When the man had asked to travel with them, stating he was a scholar of elder magic and quite capable of taking care of himself, Naruto had agreed on the condition that he got through the endurance training he had put Lyndis' legion through. Canas quickly found out that he wasn't as fit as he was much to his own surprise and told Naruto that he wasn't worthy to travel with them, Naruto dispelling his words and letting him join their group, refusing to let him protest. He had immediately hit off a solid friendship with Erk and the two spent the afternoon talking to each other about studying and various magic types, leading onto a good couple of questions that Erk had few answers for.

The third day had Naruto woken up to see Lyn and Florina both being pleasured by Keiko, who were pleasuring her in turn. When they had had their fun with each other they turned on Naruto, the scent of sex being so heavy in the air when they finished three hours later nearly had several people who walked past got knocked out by the scent alone from a heavy nosebleed. Thankfully Naruto had thrown up a silence seal on the wall to stop the sounds escaping and telling everyone that they were having some 'private time' though the smell that permeated the room when they left was obvious enough as to what had happened.

Naruto's eyes watched as a boat was slowly making its way towards the dock, the flag easily telling everyone that they were pirates. _'Now are these the pirates that can be reasoned with or are they the types that are pricks?'_ he thought as he turned around and headed into the town itself, where everyone was waiting for him. "What's the matter everyone?"

"We've wanted to ask Naruto." Marcus spoke as he walked forward. "Who are you deciding upon promoting to the second tier?" this was a question that had been bugging Marcus for a while. He had seen his student Lowen become exceptionally skilled but he was only really skilled in close combat, and anything further than an arrow shot for him was practically useless.

"I..." Naruto trailed off, thoughts about who deserved to be promoted and who did not floating around his mind. "Haven't thought about it fully. Give me tonight to think about it and I'll tell you who will be promoted in the morning. Does that sound acceptable?" Marcus along with several people nodded in agreement as they knew that it would be a long night of rest. "So how was today with training?"

"Outstanding." Marcus replied with a teacher-like smile. "I am ashamed to admit Naruto that in all my years of service to house Pherae, I have never sparred with someone who is unpredictable and does not follow the rule book word for word. Perhaps I should include it in the training regime for the recruits when we return with Lord Elbert."

Naruto noticed Eliwood's expression darken slightly. "Eliwood, don't worry. With my skills, mind and our teamwork your father will be home soon." Naruto assured him, Eliwood nodding in agreement as Hector placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "It is getting late. Shall we turn in for the night or does anyone want to speak with me about anything?"

"I do." spoke a voice Naruto recognised as Matthew. He didn't look too happy and Naruto could hazard a guess that he was annoyed at a bad meeting that had taken place between him and Leila. "May I have a word?" Naruto nodded as everyone watched the two walk off down an alley before busying themselves with something to do.

"What's wrong Matthew?" Naruto asked as they stood out of sight, the young boy looking down.

"What did you tell Leila?" he asked in a slightly angry tone. "When I met her in Caelin she had a downcast look." His angry eyes softened up. "She refused to tell me what was on her mind and said that she would be alright."

"Matthew." Naruto's tone was one of power, the type of power that was a mixture of a leader and a beast on the battlefield. "I cannot tell you about why she had a downcast look otherwise it will affect your thinking. I promise you though that when the time is right, you will understand." He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Matthew, I may not show it but Leila is someone who became a friend very quickly in my books. The last thing I want is to see her hurt. I know you and her plan to marry." Naruto smiled at his surprised facial expression. "And leave the business of thieving behind and I plan to help you on the way to that."

"Y-you do?" Matthew replied with a hopeful face. "I mean...I don't have much money..."

Much to the man's shock Naruto promptly unsealed the bag of money that he had in his pocket. "You and Leila are getting a cut of this to live the life you need. I'll also give some cash to everyone else to help them on their way when this conquest is over." he sealed the bag up into his pocket as Matthew gave him a warm smile. "But you had better do the best job you can!" he joked.

"I'll do that!" he replied, her expression furiously cheerful. "And I apologise, I was out of line." Naruto waved it off, grinning all the while.

"Let's return to the others. I'm sure Keiko won't be too happy if she realised the two of us were talking without me to massage her." Matthew paled, having seen her wrath firsthand upon a bandit that had tried to get his hands upon her body.

The massive eighty foot crater that surrounded where he stood moments later left a clear message to everyone who saw it. Keiko belonged to Naruto, no questions asked!

"True." Matthew replied as they came out of the alleyway, Keiko appearing from almost nowhere and jumping on her lover. "Sorry to keep him from you." Matthew told her, the female giving him a forgiving smile as Naruto wrapped an arm around her to keep her up. "Anyway I'm going to be off. I'll see you tomorrow!" he was gone in a blur of speed as Naruto watched Raven and Guy spar at intense levels with a pair of wooden swords, the red head reminding Naruto very much of Gaara.

'_Gaara...'_ Naruto thought as he remembered the young man's wedding. It had happened three months before Naruto's final mission that had placed him in the thousand year coma. Gaara had invited Naruto over to sand to talk with him about something important and he told him that he was getting married tomorrow to none other than Matsuri, a chunin who was their age and reminded Naruto very much of Hinata. The two had spent the entire day picking out things to wear and sorting out the after-wedding party or honeymoon, Temari and Kankuro coming to their aid to help them and managing to get the wedding set up, though Naruto had never seen him look so nervous.

He shook his head as he watched the two spar at levels that easily defined extremely skilled and masters of their weapons. _'Guy is certainly worthy of a heroes crest. Raven...not much so.' _his eyes drifted over to Dorcas and Bartre, the two throwing a couple of blows at the wind. _'Dorcas is a yes while Bartre is definitely next.' _He looked over to Wil, who was talking with Florina, Sain and Kent._ 'Definitely those four. Now who deserves the magic...both Serra and Erk deserve it.' _He thought as he saw Lyn walk over, a slightly unhappy look on her face. "What's up Lyn?" he asked her as Keiko slid down his side and stood in his embrace.

"My sword broke." Lyn stated, drawing out the blade and showing Naruto the irreversible damage that had been done to it. "I was sparring earlier and it broke at a critical moment." Naruto took the blade and the sheath and tipped out the other pieces, not caring to the sharpness as he ran his fingers along them. "Is it possible to get it fixed?"

"Too easy." Naruto replied as he looked at her, smiling. "You're going to have to grab me three things beforehand. The first two is a paintbrush and some ink. The last item is anything better than a steel sword." Lyn's face lit up like a Christmas tree before she was gone in an instant, Naruto smirking. "What do you reckon beautiful? How shall we empower this blade?"

"Unbreakable to begin." Keiko told him, placing a hand out and running it along the sheath. "Hmm...how about summoning in case Lyn is disarmed? Oh! And definitely a beacon seal in case the two of you get separated." Naruto could only smile at his lover's words as the forest green haired goddess, in Naruto's eyes, returned holding a silver sword and the other two items that he had asked for. "Ooh! Even better!"

"Lyn, promise me one thing. You won't go mass murderer with your new blade or use me as a stabbing post when it's done." Naruto told her as Keiko grabbed the items from Lyn, who gave Naruto a smile before kissing him, Naruto returning it. "I'll have it complete shortly." He gave a nod to Keiko and the two vanished in a puff of smoke, giving Lyn the chance to go and chat with her best friend and the group she was with.

Appearing in his bedroom Naruto placed the ruined weapon down as Keiko placed the items next to it. "Keiko, lock the door. This might get a bit noisy." The bright green haired girl nodded as Naruto began inspecting each part. "Ok, unbreakable on the handle and the blade to prevent it from breaking. Tracking and beacon on the handle to give Lyn the ability to summon the weapon and finally giving me the knowledge of where she is, as long as she holds onto it."

Opening up the pot of ink Naruto grabbed the thin paintbrush and touched the tip with his tongue before dipping it in, taking the handle and gently writing the various seals upon it. As the seals were small ones Naruto didn't need to write out a full ritual for them, which was handy for him as he would be able to get it written down quickly and get the job done fast so Lyn could go back to using her newfound blade with expert precision.

"Ok...ninja art." He spoke as he finished, placing the paintbrush down and putting two fingers up and flaring his chakra. "Seal activation." The black insignia that had been written on the handle of the blade lit up and glowed, turning red before settling in. Smiling to himself Naruto picked up the paintbrush and wrote down the next two seals, placing the second unbreakable seal on the small bit of the blade and activating them all. "Time for the heavy stuff." He told his lover as he picked up the silver sword and the ruined Mani Katti.

"You'll need my help for this!" Keiko announced as Naruto placed the sword and broken sword parts down on the floor in a small area next to the bed. The bright green haired dragoness grinned as Naruto got to work on the seal, writing the unique ritual that would ensure the complete restoration of the Mani Katti, at the partial expense of the silver sword that they had nabbed while in Castle Caelin. "Ok Naruto! Let's do this!" she said as he finished, the man nodding as they stood at opposite ends of the seal and placed their hands together.

"Sealing art! Fuse!" they both cried out, the seals activating as a bright flash engulfed the two blades. In the light both immortals could see the swords move together and merge, the seals working perfectly with the blade and both weapons becoming one, the light dying off a moment later to reveal the end product, a sword that had the appearance of the Mani Katti with the handle of the silver sword, the seals being visible on the handle and the lone seal on the blade itself. The sword also had more of a silver shine to it, as if the blade had been polished up heavily and cleaned while the green part at the base of the sword was relatively untouched, though the green had changed to match Keiko's hair colour.

Picking up the blade Naruto spun the sword around and returned it to the sheath, feeling the power that seemingly flew through the weapon. "Let's get this back to Lyn. I can talk with several of the group to choose who I want upon promotion as well." Keiko grinned in approval as the two took their leave of the room via body flicker, reappearing outside in the street where Lyn was instantly happy to see them. "Here's your blade, fully repaired and restored. It also will never break." Handing the blade back to Lyn she pocketed it and pounced him, smashing her lips against his and melting in his embrace.

The next morning

It was just before sunrise when several figures made their way to the barn, looking tired and semi-asleep. _'Why has Naruto summoned us down here?'_ came the thoughts of the group as they arrived at the wooden building that housed some of their mounts.

"Good morning everyone." Naruto spoke as he stood there, his eyes scanning each tired person as they walked into the light. _'Dorcas, Sain, Kent, Serra, Erk, Wil, Florina and finally Guy. Good, they're all here.' _He thought. "My apologies to wake you up so early but I have an announcement to tell you." he paused for a breath of air. "You have been chosen to advance class."

Everyone froze up in a mixture of shock and excitement, their eyes showing that they were now wide awake. "All eight of you have proven yourselves as extremely skilled companions who I know will grow stronger from this promotion. Sain, Kent and Florina, please mount your rides." The three nodded and shot over to their mounts, getting up as Naruto took out of his pocket the guiding rings. "Serra, Erk, please step forward." The two did so, Naruto taking their hands and placing the rings in them. "Put the rings on and hold it up into the air to activate it." the two nodded and did as they were told, a flash of white light erupting around them and hiding them from view momentarily.

When they could see again Naruto noticed the changes almost instantly. Erk didn't look as though he had changed but he had the eyes of a wise sage upon him, and his hair had grown a little bit more. Serra however had developed a lot in the feminine aspect, and her hair had shortened a bit at the back as well and her eyes also had wisdom flowing through it. "Wil, Step forward." The young social man did so and took the Orion's bolt, aiming it at the wall where it activated, the flash blinding everyone before he reappeared, having developed better arm muscles and now held a much bigger bow, that was easily the same height as him or a little taller.

Guy and Dorcas received their items next, the blinding flash happening before they reappeared. Dorcas was now looking much more battle hardened and he also had his hair grown out ever so slightly, his muscles had also toned up slightly and overall he looked a lot more like a warrior on the field. Guy had also changed, his hair having grown out somewhat and, from what Naruto could guess, his body had slimmed itself down to fit the swordmaster role. "This skill!" Guy exclaimed, looking at his hands. "I feel ready to fight an army!" he gave Naruto a nod of thanks before standing in his swordmaster pose, both his hands behind his back.

Sain and Kent promoted next, both taking a knight's crest and holding it above their heads, the white flash engulfing them for a moment. When the light settled Sain looked a little more bulkier in his body frame while Kent looked a little more toned up to settle the difference between them that Naruto noticed. "The powerhouse and the all rounder..." he said, looking at Sain and Kent respectively. "Finally it's your turn, beautiful." Naruto handed the Elysian whip to Florina who took it and cracked it several times, activating it and engulfing her in a bright flash. When they could see again Naruto saw Florina sitting on her mount that was now wearing new clothes while Florina herself had toned up a little, a serene smile upon her face as she felt newfound power flow through her.

Walking into the centre of the room Naruto cleared his throat, getting their attention. "One last thing to all of you. Congratulations for being chosen, for you will be needed much more now to fight off those that would harm lords Hector, Eliwood and Lyndis. I suggest you all head to the armoury to get yourselves outfitted with the right gear and also get some new clothing if your clothes are feeling a little tight." His eyes drifted over to Florina, who smiled in response. "Other than that, you may go and get yourselves something to eat for the morning, as the Dread Isle awaits us."

Everyone nodded as Naruto looked to Florina, who dismounted from her Pegasus and walked over to his side, a slight blush on her face as she threw her arms around the man she loved. "Thank you. Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself..." her words trailed off as Naruto kissed her passionately, everyone looking to each other and deciding to leave them alone for the morning. "I..." she was about to say something but went quiet, a blush forming on her face.

Naruto remained quiet as he lifted the girl up into his arms, carrying her bridal style before the two vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared in their room, where Keiko and Lyn were wide awake and laying next to each other. "Good morning girls." he told them, the two jumping out of bed as Naruto let down Florina, embracing the three beauties. "We'll be talking to the pirates this morning. I know you don't like it Lyn but it's the only way we can go."

"I know." She replied with a slightly angry look. "Don't worry; I'm sure I'll get over my anger at them. You once told me that not all pirates are bad." Naruto gave her a nod as they all got out of Naruto's arms. "Time to get ready for the day." She told herself and the others in the room before going to get dressed.

Breakfast was rather chaotic as the promoted units joined the table, having gone to the armoury and shop to get themselves outfitted with weapons and staffs and spell books. Eliwood and Hector were quite pleased with the promotion choices as they both knew the others that hadn't been chosen were getting there. One or two had complained about not being chosen but Naruto had promised to promote them the moment he had an evolution item for them, and had told them to do an outstanding job in the meantime.

Once everyone had gotten new gear and eaten a good meal the group, with the new addition of Canas, went into the pub where they came across a man alongside a few of his mates sitting around and enjoying a stiff drink. "Naruto." Eliwood muttered as Lyn, Florina and Keiko stood next to him. "Leave the talking to me." Naruto gave him a nod as he walked over with Hector, Naruto and the girls standing behind the chairs.

"What do you want whelps?" questioned a blue bearded man wearing a purple coat as they sat down across the table from him. "You're here to see me, aren't you?"

"You're commander of the pirate armada aren't you?" Eliwood spoke, the man throwing his head back and laughing.

"Commander of the pirate armada!" he laughed again. "I like the sound of that! Are you lads that naive? Or just dumb? Which is it?"

"You..." before Hector could jump up Naruto's hand touched his shoulder, keeping him sitting down. Lyn had a slight angry look on her face as well.

"Peace Hector." Eliwood spoke, the man turning away. "If I've insulted you, I apologise. How should I address you?"

The man snorted. "You don't frighten easily do you? Well it seems you're not stupid. Captain will do, whelp. The name's Fargus, captain of the Davros."

"Fargus...master Fargus? Or should I call you captain?" Eliwood sounded hopelessly confused.

"You're not one of my mates. Call me Fargus. Now what do you want?" Naruto could tell he was starting to get a little annoyed.

"We want to book passage to Valor." The man's eyes widened slightly.

"How much will you pay?"

"We don't know the current rates. Tell us how much you want."

"One hundred thousand gold." He answered, knowing that they wouldn't be able to pay that much.

"Done." Naruto spoke up, surprising the captain as Eliwood nodded in agreement. "We'll give you the money shortly as we need to collect it first." As the two lords stood up Fargus did as well, who still looked rather surprised.

"I'm heading back to my ship. Meet me there with your money." He told them as he walked past the bar and left, the group looking to each other before following suit.

Regrouping with the others Eliwood told both Marcus and Merlinus the price, the peddler letting out a cry of outrage at the price but relenting and agreeing to pay it. Before he could hand over the money however Naruto noticed a pirate walk up to them. "Ahoy mates!" spoke the pirate, getting everyone's attention. "The name's Dart! I'm one of Fargus' mates!"

"We were just about to get the money and give it to you." Naruto told him, the man waving it off.

"The boss told me to relay a message to you! He wants to see what you're capable of and has gathered up most of my mates in town to attack you." he explained, everyone looking surprised at that. "He's put free passage on the line if you can make it to him."

'_What's he playing at?'_ thought Naruto as he saw Merlinus breathe a sigh of relief. _'He's agreed to give us free passage as long as we can make it to him. Oh well, no point looking a gift horse in the mouth is there?' _looking to Eliwood the man gave a surprised nod, Naruto agreeing with him and turning to face Dart. "Ok Dart, tell your captain we'll take him up on his offer, but if most of his mates end up dead because of us he's only got himself to blame."

The man didn't even look fazed at the threat. "If you think you've got what it takes, then show your worth to the captain!" he grinned before promptly fleeing, everyone watching him retreat before they turned to face Naruto for orders.

"Great, a fight in the middle of town." The blonde haired man spoke sarcastically. "Eliwood, you'll go with Hector, Marcus, Oswin, Raven and Bartre and take care of the pirates at the front. Serra, Priscilla and Erk, you'll support them as healers so they don't end up getting themselves hurt. Lyn, you'll be taking Lowen, Rebecca, Canas, Matthew and Lucius northwards to go around and get to Fargus. Everyone who wasn't mentioned will stick with me to assist either group should they run into trouble." The teams nodded and moved into position. "Also, if you run into Dart don't hurt him. He may look foulmouthed but he's got a good heart. Let's move."

Lyn smiled as her group began moving north, a pirate attempting to attack them being very quickly put down by Canas' tome of flux. _'Time to show them my skill.' _Lyn thought as she unsheathed the Mani Katti, the blade gleaming in the sunlight before she shot forward at lightning speeds, two extremely quick slashes ending another pirate's life. _'Wow. It feels...natural...'_ she thought as she looked at the weapon and heard a cry of pain, turning to see a pirate fall by a mixture of dark and light magic.

Matthew smirked as he dodged a swing by a pirate and sliced his neck open with the short sword he had been given. _'I can't let my thoughts of Leila get in the way of this battle, but I can't stop thinking of what Naruto said...'_ he thought as he parried a strike from a pirate and eliminated him with a well placed strike to the chest. _'No, Naruto said that I'll understand about Leila when the time comes. I can wait, I'm good at waiting.'_

Eliwood's group was having far more problems than Lyn's group was, as not only were the pirates in front of them considerably more skilled, they also had a paladin who worked with the black fang intervene. "You're about to die." The paladin told them. "Scream if you must." However before he could attack anyone Dorcas and Guy both shot into him, Guy using his speed and skill to disrupt him while Dorcas swung his axe and smashed it into his armour, breaking some of it off.

The paladin backed off as Hector and Eliwood double teamed him, using the strategies that they had picked up from sparring and training to injure him further. The rider never stood a chance as a supercharged blast of light magic ripped through him, courtesy of Serra herself. "Gaa...c-crow in...t-triumph...you've-" he muttered before falling off his horse, dead.

Eliwood took a second to breathe when a pirate attacked him, catching the man off guard. By either sheer luck or chance there was a blur of blue and Eliwood saw the pirate freeze up and drop into several pieces. "You should be more aware lord Eliwood!" Guy spoke in a humorous tone as he appeared, holding an iron sword that was now dripping with blood, Eliwood responding with a smile before the two shot back into the fray of the fight.

As the last pirate and black fang interference fell dead the group saw Dart standing next to his captain. As they started moving towards him the group met up with Lyn's crew, who looked perfectly fine. "That was tough..." Eliwood muttered as Hector nodded in agreement, his blue armour looking a little scratched up.

"Haha! About time you whelps got here!" Fargus muttered as Eliwood and Hector both glared at him, Lyn looking at him with a wary look in her eyes.

"You'll give...us free...passage won't you?" Eliwood asked between breaths as everyone who had not fought in the battle came along, the group reuniting.

"I'm a man who keeps my word whelp." He told them as he spotted Naruto with Keiko, Florina and Lyn. "Seems one of your members is having more than one female! Haha! What a guy." He said before walking onto his ship with Dart following him, ignoring the dead mates that had been killed in the previous battle.

"Everyone ok?" Naruto asked, the group checking themselves to make sure they hadn't taken any injuries before nodding. "Well, onto the boat we go. Marcus, Kent, Sain, can you run and grab Merlinus?" the three paladins nodded and were gone to collect the easily frightened peddler so he didn't get left behind.

As the paladins came back with the gear that the peddler was carrying everyone had lined up and was slowly making their way onto the boat, Merlinus looking a little relaxed as they all joined the back of the queue, Naruto and Keiko standing off to the side. "Naruto." Keiko spoke, pushing her bum into his crotch. "When we next fight, can I get involved? I'm feeling a little bored just watching the others do battle."

"I don't have to give you permission to get involved. Any time you want to leave my side and let loose you are more than welcome to." Naruto told her before assaulting her neck with kisses, Keiko moaning quietly as Naruto's arms ran down hers and took her hands in his, his fingers shifting between hers and holding her hands gently. "There is one question that I'm going to ask. How do we explain to Lyn and Florina about who we are?"

"We'll do so when the time is right." Keiko replied through her moans, noticing nearly everyone had gotten onto the boat. "I am so screwing you when we get there." Naruto smiled as he let go of his lover and picked her up bridal style, jumping effortlessly into the air and landing unaffected on the deck of the boat much to the surprise of everyone there.

As Marcus got on he gave Naruto a nod to indicate that everyone was on board. "Everyone present and accounted for?" Naruto called out, the group standing on the deck all nodding to his words. "Good. We're ready to set sail pirate leader." Naruto told Fargus, who laughed at his nickname and signalled to his mates to get them onto the rough waters.

"It'll take us about half a day to get there." Fargus told them as they began to move out, Naruto giving the man a nod. "There's one thing I want to ask. Aren't you the supposed hero of Etrutia?"

Naruto gave a laugh at his nickname. "I am, though I dislike the attention given. It's actually hard, walking through the streets of Etrutia to have girls faint whenever I go into their view." He gave the man a small frown that made him laugh heartily. "Other than that I was left alone, though a couple of rogues did ask for advice on several things, something I was more than happy to give."

"Understandable boy." Fargus told Naruto, who felt a twinge of surprise at being called a boy. "I'm heading to the bow of the boat and I'll be there for most of the trip." Naruto gave him a nod as they finally pulled out of the waters surrounding Badon before they slowly began to take off.

"What did Fargus want?" asked Lyn as Naruto and Keiko walked over.

"Nothing much, just questioned me about being the hero of Etrutia." Naruto replied as Keiko pulled Florina from thin air, ignoring the squeak of the little girl, and wrapping the younger girl in her arms much to her heavy blushing and enjoyment. "It's going to take half of today for us to get to our location."

"That's good to know." Spoke Marcus, the man having overheard Naruto's words. "In the meantime I'd like to see how Lowen is doing."

"Marcus." Naruto said quickly, grabbing his attention before he could scoot off having dismounted for the trip. "It would be an idea to introduce Lowen to Rebecca. Lowen is useless at long-range and Rebecca at close, so they could support each other when they would most be needed." The man gave a teacher-like smile and nodded before walking off to find them, Naruto turning his attention to the girls. "So Lyn how's the sword?"

"It's fantastic!" she replied enthusiastically. "The blade feels perfect in my hands and it's not any heavier than I thought it would be." She walked to Naruto and wrapped herself in her arms, letting him slide his muscular hands underneath her dress and massage her firm rear. "I want first shots with you tonight."

"No fair!" cried out both Florina and Keiko in protest, looking at Naruto as Lyn melted into his body.

"Girls." Naruto told them in a manly tone. "I won't have you fighting over me. I love all three of you equally, and I will not place one over the other." Instantly all three females realised they had overstepped a certain line and went quiet, looking down. "Now come here and give me a hug." Florina and Keiko complied and Naruto held all three in his arms, the trio looking a bit unhappy as he let them go. "Now do you feel better?"

"We're sorry." Lyn told him first, the other two nodding. "I...guess I wanted tonight to be special for myself and I disregarded Florina and Keiko. Can you forgive me girls?" she turned to face them both, each girl nodding and giving her a quick kiss on each cheek. "Thank you."

Letting go of the girls Naruto felt the seals go off on the bracelet he had given Leila. "Damn it. Keiko, I'll be back shortly. You know why." as Naruto let go of the girls he vanished in a flash of yellow, shocking them.

Elsewhere

"The punishment for treason is death." Said a red haired man armed with two daggers as he shot towards another red head, a black haired man watching the interaction with an unimpressed look upon his face.

Before he had a chance to attack her there was a blinding flash of yellow that disorientated him. "Good, I got here just in time." Naruto spoke as the two men were momentarily blinded. Grabbing the red haired man by the top of his cloak he threw him hard down the stairs, the man being unable to react in time as he slammed into the stone floor hard as Naruto rounded on the raven haired man. Before he had a chance to respond to Naruto's sudden appearance the avatar's fist had slammed into his head and sent him flying into the room that his master had just been in.

"N-Naruto! W-what are-eep!" Leila squeaked as Naruto picked her up bridal style and looked around.

"Which direction is the exit? Quick!" Naruto told her, Leila pointing southwards. "Hold on tight Leila, this is going to be a fast ride." The red head nodded as she grabbed onto his coat, since he wasn't wearing a t-shirt. In a burst of speed Naruto shot down the stairs, moving so swiftly and quickly the red head had a heavy blush on her face at being so close to Naruto's body. "Leila, that bracelet you wear. Once I get us to safety I will need to borrow it for a minute."

"O-of course." she muttered as Naruto shot through the door and into the courtyard. "Oh no..."

Standing in front of them, and armed, were hundreds of black fang members, all of them glaring at him and armed with weapons, almost all of them being male from what Naruto could see.

"There's only one way out of this." Naruto paused, not seeing a way out of this as he let go of Leila on one arm, her legs swinging to the ground. "You can kill me later for this." he muttered to her before walking forward. "Well I would die but my girlfriend would probably blow up the planet trying to kill you if you did manage to kill me, so I'm going to give you a gift..." he placed his hands together in a familiar symbol. "Harem technique!"

Almost instantly hundreds of puffs of smoke revealed completely nude versions of a female Naruto, who promptly shot forward and pounced each and every member of the black fang, rubbing themselves up against them and teasing them. The explosion of nosebleeds that followed immediately after gave Naruto the opportunity to scoop up a very angry Leila, who scowled angrily at him as he jumped a good one hundred feet into the air and landed outside of the massive building, Naruto receiving a rush of memories as each and every clone dispersed.

"Leila, you can kill me later. I know that technique is degrading to females and I apologise but I didn't dare risk doing anything else." he told her as he raced southwards, slowly tilting leftwards to pass around the mountain effortlessly. "It's the safest way to get you out of there."

"Who taught you that technique?" growled the red head, Naruto suddenly realising that he was seeing a lot of his mother in the girl.

"I created it myself. I was young and stupid and didn't realise that it was degrading to females in general." Naruto told her truthfully, the red head continuing to glower at him before calming down.

"You did it to save my life. I suppose I can forgive you for this, but father sky above help you if you do it again." She replied before snuggling into his chest, Naruto sweat-dropping at the girl's behaviour but feeling for a split-second like his father. "Naruto, why do you have sadness in your eyes? Did I...say something?"

"My parents...my father had yellow hair and my mother had red hair..." Naruto told her, Leila gasping in surprise before nodding in understanding. "It's a subject I don't want to discuss." The red head placed her head against his chest and ran her hand down it.

"Then don't. Just focus on getting us to a safe location." She replied as he sped up, shooting to the left as he was far enough south from the base.

After two hours worth of running the two arrived at the water's edge, where a large number of Pegasus knights were flying about. "Leila, shuffle around me and hold on tight." Letting her down she shifted behind Naruto underneath his coat and popped her head out, her legs wrapped around him while her arms were wrapped around his chest. "Time for some speed." Going through a complex set of seals Naruto knew this was going to screw up if he didn't get it under control quickly enough. "Lightning release. Like lightning."

Instantly electricity erupted around his feet, looking as though he had a chidori on each foot. "Naruto what are-EEEK!" in a burst of speed at least five times what Naruto had been running at the two shot across the water, the Pegasus knights being unable to see them due to Naruto moving way too fast. "EEK!" squeaked Leila in shock and mild delight as Naruto felt the chakra of his lover, and turned to face it, passing by three boats that were moving towards the boat his lover was on.

As Naruto felt the timing of the jutsu run out he could see the boat a short distance away, and he jumped just as he hit the end of the jutsu. "We're there." Naruto told Leila as they landed, shocking everybody apart from Keiko and the girl he was carrying as he cancelled the jutsu. "Hi everyone."

"Naruto!" Eliwood said in surprise as he walked up to him, Leila getting out from underneath his coat. "Where did...why is Leila with you?" he changed question when he noticed the red head, Matthew seeing her and walking over.

"They learned I was a spy." Leila told them, Matthew's eyes going wide as Hector saw Leila and walked over. "Naruto arrived just in time to prevent me from being killed." Naruto didn't miss the wide eyed look he got from Matthew, though he didn't reply. "And we got out of there before the black fang had a chance to attack us."

"We ran past three ships as well and from their current course, they're heading towards us." Naruto added, Hector giving a small scowl as he armed his axe. "We had best be prepared for what's to come. Leila, you'll join us for now and stay with Matthew. The two of you will have the job of stealing the enemies healing balms and money if possible." Matthew and Leila gave each other a warm smile and nodded. "Eliwood, Hector, you two alongside the non-promoted will take one boat. The promoted units can take the other. The third boat I think this one." he grabbed Keiko, who squealed in delight. "Can take the third boat, though I wouldn't be surprised if she sinks it." he added quickly before she connected her lips with his much to the slight embarrassment of Leila.

"Hey!" shouted a pirate who was looking over the side. "We've got a drifter!" everyone ran to the side to see a body lying unconsciously on a large bit of wood.

"I'll go." Naruto told them before jumping over, landing gently on the water and realising exactly whom it was. "No way..." he said as he lifted her up into his arms and jumped straight back onto the boat, the girl giving a murmur as he landed. "Ninian?" Naruto asked, several people gasping in shock.

"Of all the odds..." Eliwood said as he stood there staring at her. "But why here?"

"I'll get her to a room." Naruto instructed as he looked around. "The black fang are probably after her. We can ask questions later, right now we need to defend this boat against them." Eliwood and Hector nodded as Naruto went downstairs to the hold where Dart was standing outside of a bedroom. "Thanks." Naruto told him as he walked inside and placed the sleeping female upon the bed. Activating the diagnostic jutsu to give her a quick check-up Naruto's eyes widened at the reading. _'Her sleeping state has come on from being drained of her draconic powers. She's lucky to get this far.' _He thought before placing both of her hands on her chest and placing his hand on hers. "Rest, Ninian."

Calmly controlling his chakra he directed it through his hand and into hers, letting her body draw it in and restore her weakened powers back to where they were. _'Her body isn't suited to staying in this world and she shares her power with her brother. At the moment she's clinging to consciousness without my help.'_ he thought as he placed a second hand on her head, channelling both yin and yang chakra into her body. _'This will allow her to live a normal life here if she so chooses.'_ He added as he continued, feeling her body slowly absorb the energy and stabilise her draconic core.

After a good few minutes of stabilising her core Naruto stopped, letting her sleep as he removed his hands. "Sleep Ninian." He said quietly, the girl taking a small breath of air before going back to the land of nod. Before Naruto had a chance to react there was a violent shudder followed by a cry of help. "What's going on? Don't tell me they've found us already."

"Captain! The ship's flooding! We need all hands below deck or we'll sink!" shouted a pirate, Naruto shaking his head as he turned around and left the room, seeing that there was literally water everywhere.

"Naruto!" Fargus called out from the side of the boat where they had been struck. "Keep those fools from getting down here and we'll keep us from drowning." Naruto nodded to the man's words before shooting upstairs. "Dart! Let's get this fixed before too much water floods the boat!"

"Naruto, what's the plan?" asked Eliwood as the black fang threw down boards to board the ship.

"This is going to be quite tricky. Eliwood, you'll be with Lowen, Hector, Oswin, Rebecca, Bartre and Raven. Erk and Priscilla will be the healers of your group. Marcus, you'll be with Lucius, Canas, Florina and Serra. Keiko, you'll have the job of removing any reinforcements from the third boat. Everyone else can head downstairs to help out Fargus apart from Lyn who will be defending Merlinus from attacks and Kent and Sain who will be guarding the boat entrance from enemy attacks." he looked to the teams. "Eliwood's squad will take the portside boat and prevent most of the black fang from boarding the boat. Marcus, your group will take the starboard boat as there are a good couple of magic users on it and I don't need to tell you how to deal with them. Finally Keiko, you're free to go buck wild upon the third boat."

"Yay!" cried Keiko in glee as she promptly bounded off, both groups moving into position as the black fang got onto the boat, fighting breaking out within seconds. Canas and Lucius were having the easiest time taking down the dark magic users while Florina was dive-bombing the various swordfighters, using her slim lance and iron sword to injure them and finally dispatch them. Marcus had chosen to stick between Canas and Lucius, just in case they ran into trouble with a stronger enemy or two.

Eliwood's group were only having a few harder problems, namely with Lowen and Rebecca both working together in unison to take out the overabundance of mercenaries and myrmidons. Oswin was also getting involved; his iron lance that he wielded was striking the multiple myrmidons that were attempting to break through his armour with no luck. Raven and Bartre were also double teaming various enemy units that didn't wield a blade, as a couple of fighters and pirates and even the odd knight were relatively spewing out of the hold to wipe them out.

"This isn't as hard as I thought it would be." Eliwood told Lowen as the red head took down a mercenary with a well aimed strike to the neck from his rapier. "Those training lessons with Naruto have really helped."

"I agree my lord." Replied the cavalier as Rebecca sniped a mercenary. "Lord Naruto's training was beneficial to all of us due to our weaknesses being, as he put it, blatantly obvious." deflecting a sword with his lance Lowen attacked a myrmidon at the same time Rebecca shot an arrow, the speedy swordfighter evading the lance but taking the arrow in the shoulder, Hector springing from nowhere and finishing off the swordfighter before he could do anything more.

"You should be more a-"

BOOM!

"-lert." Hector finished as everyone looked in the direction of the explosion, the third boat that was supposed to ambush them was sinking and a figure stood on the stern before jumping back to their boat. "Remind me never to get on her bad side." Hector told his friend as Keiko came flying over, landing on the tip of the bow and jumping again, flying straight over the mast and landing peacefully in her lover's arms.

Marcus was having problems. He had never been one to study and understand magic and the paladin was wishing he had done such a thing, as the shaman in front of them was giving them more problems than they had wished for. _'He is tougher than the average shaman.'_ The paladin mused as Lucius and Canas double teamed him, a combo of lightning and flux hitting him for a lot less damage than they expected. _'Is there anyone we can rely on?' _he thought as the shaman managed to counter, missing Lucius with his tome.

Luckily enough Florina was in the vicinity and responded to his words, engaging the man and using her outstanding speed and skill to land the first blow. _'I can do this.'_ she told herself as she evaded his attack with little problem and charged in a second time, using her sword to stab him in the shoulder and injure the shaman. Before she could pull back his free hand launched a blast of Luna at her, hitting her in the chest and causing her to cry out in pain.

Before he could finish however Marcus charged in, sword and lance in hand and impaled the dark magic user though the chest and stomach, stopping him from attacking a second time. "This...c-cannot-" he muttered before falling dead, Marcus withdrawing his weapons and turning to face Florina, who was clutching her stomach in mild pain.

"Go back for healing." He told her, the falcon knight smiling before flying back to her beloved. "Now it's-hmm?" Marcus' eyes caught the glimmer of something upon the dead man's hand, and he bent down and saw it was a guiding ring. Pulling it off of the man's finger he pocketed it and nodded to Canas and Lucius, the three of them retreating back to the main boat that had now been stabilised.

Just as Marcus, Lucius and Canas came onto the boat they were travelling on they saw everyone who had gone down into the hold come up, looking a little dirty and soaked but otherwise fine. "Good work whelps!" spoke Fargus as he came up, his mates following him. "Now that the ship has been fixed we can take care of those fools who attacked us!" in an instant, before Marcus had a chance to announce that they were all dead, several of the pirates under Fargus' crew drew out axes and charged off.

Walking down from his place Naruto gave them a smile. "Well done all of you." Naruto told them, surprising them all apart from Keiko as Lyn and Florina walked downstairs, standing next to him with a happy expression upon their faces. "For now you can rest as I doubt we'll run into trouble for the rest of the trip." The relieved faces Naruto received explained their moods as they all headed in different directions to rest and heal up.

"Ninian!" spoke Lyn worriedly as she came up from the hold a few hours later, looking dizzy and much disorientated. "You shouldn't be up here!" she attempted to reason as the girl looked around, everyone turning to face her. "Ninian, what's wrong with you?"

"Is...t-that me? Is that...my name?" replied the blue haired dancer in a confused tone. "My head...is a-all foggy..." she muttered as Naruto walked over, her eyes drifting over to him. "You're s-someone that I k-know...but I d-don't k-know you..." she looked sadly at the ground as Naruto gently tilted her head up with his hand, a small smile on his face.

"It's ok Ninian. Your memory will come back to you." he assured her, the girl looking into his eyes with slight confidence for a few seconds before he broke the connection. "Eliwood." The man walked over, looking a bit confused. "Look after her until we get to the dragon's gate." The young man gave a nod as he took Ninian's hand and led her down into the hold and back to her room. "We'll take her with us." Naruto told them.

"Good to know." Fargus said to Naruto in a calmed tone. "My mates were getting a little unnerved that she might be cursed." He gave them a grin. "Though I know better. Just sit back and enjoy the trip upon Fargus' pirate armada!" he walked off, giving a roar of laughter before Naruto turned his attention to Leila, who handed him the bracelet.

"Done." He replied as he returned it, having removed the seals upon the beautiful silver bracelet. "One thing before we get to the Dread Isle. Stick with Matthew at all times." The red head gave him a nod before returning to the young man's side, a smile etched on her face.

'_There's no turning back now.'_ thought Eliwood in the hold as he sat on Ninian's bed, the girl resting behind him. _'Father, hold on. We're coming for you.'_

A/N: another chapter in Naruto's life with a bit of back-story to mix it up a little. I am officially back from my Hiatus so I am focusing on getting this world finished before I lose interest altogether.

Review Corner:

EXpERieNCed: Marcus still doesn't know Naruto is more or less a money pit, and he still has another girl to come, if you can guess who it is.

sh8ad8ow: thanks!

OnTheImportanceOfLungs: Shinobi would be Overkill in the world of Fire Emblem, so this is the main reason why Naruto doesn't get involved. He'd love to, but the rules set by Kami and Shinigami prevent him from interfering too much.

Lyn's hair is forest green and Keiko's hair is bright neon green to make it sound, as you put it, much better. I am surprised at your incest vibes going off as Naruto and Keiko are not related, they simply refer to each other as Brother and Sister because they feel comfortable doing so.

I understand your first point about characterization so that's why Naruto has replaced Mark, the first person to meet Lyn. Freedom is something I enjoy, but the character relationships will come into play a little later.

And finally, thanks very much for reviewing!

Final A/N: I have a poll on my page which is going to remain open for a LONG time which decides where Naruto and Keiko shall go. Please cast your vote for a decision.

Finally, thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favourite and liked it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Naruto awoke with a start, remembering the previous night and what he had done. _'We docked last night and I created a place for us to stay in.' _He thought as he saw the naked forms of Lyn, Florina and Keiko all lying on him. _'Where are my arms?' _he thought as he regained the feeling in his body, realising that his left hand was planted on Florina's bum while his right was on Lyn's rear. _'Since when did Lyn and Florina join in on Keiko's obsession with having as much sex as she could?' _he thought before smiling, letting go of his girlfriend's backsides and giving them a kiss on their heads.

Luckily enough Naruto could feel his meat stick was inside his pants so he didn't have to worry about Keiko waking up and slipping it back inside of her, like she had a tendency to do of a morning. Looking around at the Japanese style house Naruto had bore he saw the window was open slightly, and the male immortal remembered that he had opened the window last night to let a small breeze come through and clean the air that smelt heavily of sex.

"Girls...it's time to wake up." Naruto told them quietly, seeing them shift about before they all tilted their heads up, looking at him with tired smiles upon their faces. "I know you would love to spend every second of every day on my body but we have someone to save." the girls gave him pouts as his hands ran across their bodies, Keiko removing her arms from around his neck and planting them on the other two's backsides, hearing a small moan come from both of them.

Keiko grinned as she slid back, trying to get her lover's stick inside of her and hitting fabric. "Aww..." she said as she felt the fabric brush up against her butt cheeks. "Naruto..." she told him lustfully, Naruto shaking his head as he brought both of his hands up and drew her back down, his hands trailing to her backside and giving it a squeeze as they kissed for a few seconds before breaking apart and giving the other two beauties at his side the same treatment to their immense delight.

As the girls stood up they looked around the room, looking a little confused at the Japanese styled house they were in. "This was the house that I more or less grew up in." Naruto lied, Keiko looking at Naruto with a sorrowful expression as Lyn and Florina both looked slightly concerned. "I learned how to craft it from Mother Nature herself through many weeks of hard work, sweat and tears."

"That's in the past." Lyn told him as she embraced the blonde haired man, Florina doing the same. "What matters is now." Naruto let a small smile grace his face as he hugged both girls, Keiko walking over and wrapping both girls also in a hug to their delight. "No matter what comes forth Naruto, we will be there alongside you."

Before they could continue there was knocking at the door that broke the mood, the females blushing before scurrying to get dressed with clean clothes._ 'It's a good thing Naruto had me clean up their clothes from last night's activity.' _thought Keiko as she put on her panties. _'I wonder who that could be?' _she added as she pulled up her trousers, nodding to Naruto as the females moved out of the way.

Opening the door Naruto was somewhat surprised to see Leila standing there, a smile on her face. "Good morning my saviour." She said before inviting herself in, seeing the girls getting dressed to her mild surprise and closing over the door much to Naruto's surprise. "There's something I want to know. When you told me back in castle Caelin that I was going to be killed by a red haired man I wanted to know how you did foresee my imminent death."

"I have..." Naruto hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "A premonition ability that occasionally allows me a glimpse into the future of a life changing event." He told her as truthfully as possible, hoping the younger red head would accept it. "I saw your death when I bumped into you when I was in Ostia."

"Y-you did?" replied Leila, astonished. "But the premonition ability is said to belong to those who study dark magic...oh." Leila had very quickly come to the understanding that Naruto was capable of doing things beyond her understanding, such as creating a small port for the boat they had boarded to dock at or summon hundreds of female versions of himself to cause a distraction, if you count the nosebleeds. "Right, sorry."

"No problem. Now did you come to get us because we're moving out or is it a personal question that's been eating at you?"

"Eliwood's asked me to come and get you. He's been looking after Ninian and would like your advice on something." Her eyes quickly drifted over to the other females who were now fully dressed, and had their weapons armed and ready for today. "He didn't say what though."

Naruto gave Leila a nod as the girls walked over to Naruto, following him out alongside Leila who had a small blush on her face. Walking downstairs Naruto saw that everyone was up and looking well rested, all of them chatting to each other, especially Hector who had gotten into a conversation with the pirate Dart. "Good morning everyone." Naruto told them, receiving nods and good mornings back in return.

"Naruto, may I have a word?" Eliwood said to his left, Naruto following him a small distance away as Leila headed off to go talk with Matthew. "It's to do with Ninian. Ever since you placed her in my care she has constantly blushed every time she has spoken to me and I cannot understand why."

Naruto remained impassive as he mentally roared with laughter. "Ninian is a shy girl Eliwood, who possibly remembers who rescued her one year ago. I think she still remembers who her knight in shining armour is." Naruto started laughing as Eliwood spluttered something, looking both shocked and puzzled. "That's all I can tell you. I'll let you figure out the rest for yourself."

Returning to the group Hector walked over with Dart. "Naruto, Dart here wants to come with us. He wants to prove himself capable of fighting for Fargus' ship and his mates."

"It's a pleasure to meet ya!" Dart said with a grin as he held up his hand, Naruto shaking it. "You're the strategist of the squad right? There's something I need answered." Naruto nodded to his question, showing that he was listening intently. "Fargus told me that my skill isn't up to scratch and that you'd be the best person to ask. Who should I do some training with to up my skill?"

Tightening his muscles Dart watched as Naruto's hand gripped his muscular bicep. "I'd say an iron axe would be no problem while a hand axe would be perfect. However unless you can hit your opponent it makes no difference how strong you are." Naruto gave a small frown as he let go. "Take some training with Dorcas and Bartre. They're axe users as well and you would learn a lot." Naruto informed him, the young man giving a grin before shooting off to go find said people.

Naruto smiled as he looked at Florina, who was wearing his coat for the day. _'I don't really mind that Florina is wearing my coat, though I should really pack a few spares in case we do run into a really cold or really hot environment.'_ He thought as he looked to Eliwood and Hector that both had looks that they were ready. "We ready to move out?" he asked, both men nodding. "Ok everyone!" Naruto addressed them loudly, all heads turning to face him. "The longer we stay here the less we get done. Let's get going."

Opening the front door the group saw the dock where Fargus' boat was docked, the various mates moving the supplies of wood onto it. "Good to see you're awake." Fargus told them as he picked up several blocks of wood. "There's been no activity of those black fang from what my mates have told me, so I guess you're in the clear for now." he grinned as he shuffled them onto his back. "We'll be here for two weeks. When you've done your rescue light a signal fire and we'll come and collect you."

"Thanks Fargus." Naruto told him, the man nodding before heading onto his ship to use the wood to patch up the hole that had slowed them down during their voyage to the dread isle. "Ok everyone, as this is foreign territory we need to keep our eyes peeled for any enemies." the group gave nods of agreement before shifting into smaller groups, keeping tight-knit to prevent any foes from getting the drop on them._ 'I sound like Kakashi-sensei when I was in Anbu for a short time.'_ thought the blonde haired man as he remembered the infamous eye-smiles the man used to give him.

Florina was sticking close to Naruto and Keiko, a slightly scared look on her face due to her being in unknown territory. "I m-must be brave." She told herself, Naruto overhearing her but remaining quiet. "My h-husband to be is with m-me and I shall prove t-that I don't need to always d-depend upon him." she steeled herself furiously before gripping her slim lance tighter, her iron sword located in its scabbard at her side.

"Boss!" called out Dart from up ahead. "We've found something that you'll need attending to." Naruto looked to Eliwood and gave a nod before heading forward, Lyn following him with a wary look in her eyes. "The bridge is broken and from what I know it's the only way forward." He indicated to the ruined bridge, Naruto giving him a nod as he made a lone hand seal.

"Earth release. Earth flow wave." Naruto muttered before a large wave of mud exploded from his feet and flew over the broken bridge, quickly solidifying and creating a new walkway over the ruined path. "There we go, all done." Naruto said as he turned to face Dart, who was looking both shocked and slightly excited. "Something you'd like to ask?"

"How the heck do you do that!" exclaimed the man as Lyn crossed over the bridge, testing its sturdiness. "Last night I thought you weren't anything special, and then you go and summon up a port of all things using only your hands!" he looked puzzled as Naruto folded over his arms, everyone else coming into view.

"My techniques can only be done by myself and my neon green haired lover." Naruto informed him as Keiko looked at the bridge before walking back to his side.

"EEK!" came Lyn's high pitched scream, Naruto and Keiko instantly turning around to see her being held with a blood red sword to her neck from a horseman. "Naruto! H-help!" she cried as the man held the blade closer to her neck, silencing Lyn but the fear in her eyes being evident.

"Let her go." Naruto told him coldly as he crossed over the bridge, his tone sending shivers up Lyn's back that turned her on ever so slightly.

'_So he is the one Ursula told me to be wary of...'_ thought the man on the horse. "I am Uhai! The soaring hawk!" he announced, Lyn going wide eyed as he let her go and kicked her in the back, sending her towards Naruto who caught her in his grasp. "To hold a hostage in battle is shameful. I will at least allow you to die with a blade in your hand. Come!"

"Naruto!" called out Eliwood as several black fang attacked them. "We need to pull back and regroup! This fog is going to hinder us!" dodging a surprise attack he quickly drew his spare iron sword and blocked the second attack, the mercenary looking a little surprised as Eliwood pushed him away and shot into him, diagonally slicing across his torso.

"Pull back!" Naruto called out as Uhai vanished into the fog. "Are you ok Lyn?" seeing the Lorca girl nod he let go of her. "Stick close to me." he told her as he made a hand seal. "Wind release! Great breakthrough!" launching a blast of wind forward from his hand Naruto saw the fog disperse somewhat, though it still lingered and obscured his vision. "The fog's too thick."

"We need to keep ourselves together Naruto." Lyn informed him, Naruto biting his lip but nodding before he and Lyn crossed back over the bridge where Keiko was launching wind jutsu around to disperse the fog as best she could while the black fang that had tried to take them by surprise had been completely wiped out.

"Naruto, we need a plan of action." Eliwood said as he and everyone stood there, looking to him for orders.

"Whichever way we look at it this territory is new to us, and it's foggy so our vision is going to be considerably impaired. Eliwood, you'll go with Kent, Sain, Marcus, Serra, Erk, Priscilla, Dorcas and Wil and head around to make sure there aren't any threats from our flank." The man gave a confident nod. "Hector, you'll take everyone apart from Keiko, Lyn and Florina and be the main assault team. Girls, you'll defend Merlinus from attacks as something tells me that he'll be in danger while we're here." Hector armed his axe and gave a focused look as Lyn, Keiko and Florina all nodded in agreement. "I'll be focusing on scouting the area to give us a map of sorts."

"Lowen! Bartre! Raven! Rebecca!" Hector ordered them as Naruto took off. "You four will be up front with me. Everyone else will take care of any of the fang trying a sneak attack." They nodded in agreement as Eliwood's crew disappeared into the fog, keeping themselves close together so they weren't flanked or ambushed themselves.

The group began by crossing over the bridge, Lowen, Bartre, Raven and Hector being the frontal assault team with Rebecca behind Lowen and everyone else keeping their ears and eyes peeled. Just as one shot through the fog to make a sneak attack Rebecca's reaction was almost instant as she drew out an arrow and shot the man in his head, killing him on the spot. "Um..." she replied speechlessly, being so shocked at herself more than anything.

"Rebecca!" Lowen said, getting her attention.

"Ah...hello, sire. Are you well?" she replied, forgetting the man's name for a few seconds.

"No, Rebecca...I am not. I am a mere soldier, undecorated and unwanted. To be honest, I am no more than an attendant knight." He said, looking downcast as the others shot by to scout out the enemy threat.

"Oh, but that's absurd! Sir Lowen, you are a fine knight! Why, I remember it so well...countless numbers of bandits had descended on our village..."

"Please...there were ten at most..." he muttered, Rebecca hearing him.

"In the heat of the moment if felt like there were many more!"

"Hmm..." he said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, just as their fiendish grip on our village began to tighten, you appeared Sir Lowen, on your white steed."

"But...my horse is sorrel." He replied in a confused manner.

"This is the way I prefer to remember it, milord. Please don't ruin it by correcting me!" she told him with slightly dreamy eyes.

"Hmm..." he said again, thinking.

"So you appeared astride your mighty steed to save us from the bandits, and I was overcome with joy..." she trailed off and began to look even dreamier about the day that Lowen had saved her life.

Hector watched their interaction with a small smile on his face as Guy and Raven took down two more members of the fang. Shaking his head Hector engaged in a fight with a swordsman, using his decent skill that he had been heavily practicing with to land a decent blow on the man's torso before parrying one of his attacks, both Dart and Bartre rushing to his aid and eliminating the man with two well placed strikes to his body.

Back at camp Lyn, Keiko and Florina were defending Merlinus from pirates that had tried to make an attack upon the port that Naruto had created, only to run into a very furious Fargus who had proceeded to go mental upon them with his killer axe. _'I guess not all pirates are bad.' _Lyn thought as she killed a pirate belonging to the black fang. _'Fargus and his group are good people, for pirates though.'_

"Sister?" Florina spoke as a Pegasus knight flew into their view. "Sister! It is you!"

"Florina?" spoke the older Pegasus rider, looking quite surprised at her younger sister. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she descended.

"I'm here with friends and my fiancé on a rescue mission. What about you sister Fiora?"

"I'm-wait, fiancé?" replied the Pegasus rider in shock. "Who proposed to you and when did this happen?"

"The strategist of our group is my husband-to-be and it happened about a week ago, when I fell in love with him." Florina replied as Lyn killed a pirate with three swift strikes. "You can meet him when he returns, as I've stolen his coat for the day." Florina smiled as Fiora gave her a shocked look. "Sis, why don't you travel with us? Didn't you teach me to stick together in a group rather than try everything alone?"

"Of course." Fiora replied through her shock. "I would also like to meet your husband-to-be." She added as she followed her sister over to the tent, where Keiko was looking at her puzzled.

"Keiko, this is my sister Fiora. Fiora, this is a close friend of mine, Keiko." Florina explained, both girls placing each other's hands forward and shaking with a smile while Fiora was mentally envious that Keiko had such a large chest upon her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Keiko told her warmly. "Florina you never told me you had a sister!" Keiko gave Florina a slightly lustful stare that, thankfully, Fiora didn't catch on to. "We need to talk after this."

Florina could only nod.

Evading a sword slash Guy retaliated with full speed, slicing his opponent into several bits within seconds before moving through the fog and arriving at a group of trees. Looking left and right as the trees were too thick to pass through he turned left and started walking, keeping his ears and eyes active for any sign of enemy reinforcements. His eyes widened slightly when he ran into the horse rider from earlier, realising that this was going to be a challenging fight if he didn't take it seriously. "So...you are from Sacae." Uhai told the younger boy.

"I am Guy of the Kutolah!" Guy announced.

"Kutolah..." his eyes widened. "The ash wolf, Dayan's tribe! They're said to be the strongest on the plains. But you are still a child. Do you fight like one?"

"I did once." Guy replied, his eyes showing a powerful level of determination. "But I grew up with the help of friends. Their strength helped me to become who I am now."

"Wise words boy. Then come, show me this strength!" Uhai drew out an arrow and aimed it at the boy who dodged the shot with little effort before closing the distance and attempting to attack him, Uhai's sword being drawn quickly and parrying the blow leaving Guy in a vulnerable position. Before Uhai could swing again Guy and jumped into the air, slicing upwards and clipping the man's shoulder before lancing behind him, slashing across his back and injuring him.

Knowing he would die if he didn't evade the next strike Uhai moved out of the attack range of the boy and armed his arrows, a plan of action in his mind. "Hah!" he ordered the horse, the animal charging towards Guy who jumped out of the way only for Uhai to jump into the air and launch several arrows all at once at him, Guy dodging most of them by sheer inches though two managed to hit him, one in his leg and the other in his shoulder.

Before Uhai could do the finishing strike there was a powerful blast of wind that struck him and his mount, sending him flying. "Looks like I arrived at the right time didn't I?" Naruto said as he jumped out of the trees, wearing only his trousers and landing at Guy's side. Lifting the boy up he grabbed the arrows and ripped them out of his skin, making him cry out in pain. "Ninja art. Mystical palm." He muttered as his right hand was engulfed in green medical chakra and rubbing the injuries he had taken, the wounds healing up almost instantly. "There you go." He said as he let go, Guy touching his wounds and looking shocked.

"Thank you Naruto." he told him before turning to face Uhai, the man having climbed upon his mount and had his sword armed. "It's time I ended this." taking one step his sword gleamed silver before he spun on one foot, making the swordmaster pose before vanishing. Without warning a semi-invisible slash tore through Uhai's chest, making him wince in pain as another went down his back, a third happening a split second later and tearing through his side and making him gasp in even more pain before a fourth wound opened on his torso, the blade mark going upwards before Guy finally reappeared, his attack being a stab and plunging into Uhai's stomach.

"Ugh..." he muttered as he looked at the wound then up at Guy. "You truly...are skilled...young Kutolah...a parting gift...from me to you...head southwards from...here. At...the ruined trees head...west to the...ruins. Go north...to the dragon's gate..." he told Guy, who nodded as the man dropped his weapons. "Grow...strong...Kutolah..." Guy removed his sword as Uhai finally succumbed to his wounds, closing his eyes and falling off of his horse.

Before he could hit the ground Naruto was there, catching him and laying him to rest upon the ground. "It's over." he spoke as the fog began to clear, revealing everyone who had gone to fight looking a little beaten up or injured but otherwise fine. "Uhai, the soaring hawk. Find peace." He said before placing him down on the ground, the horse neighing sadly before taking off to locations unknown.

"Uhai, I wish we could've met under different circumstances..." Eliwood said sadly, Hector nodding in agreement. "Do we trust his word?"

"He was of Sacae. He would not lie." Guy told everyone, who looked at the man with somewhat sorrowful eyes. "Naruto, what shall we do?"

"If you believe his advice is good then we shall take it. Is everyone present?" the group all gave various nods as they looked at each other, double-checking to make sure no-one had gone missing. "Eliwood, head back to the camp with Kent and Sain and tell Merlinus its time for us to move out. I'll get to work on clearing a path that'll let us head south."

The three men nodded before heading off to collect the ones left behind as Naruto turned to face the words. "Naruto." spoke a voice, the man turning to see Marcus standing there. "I recently acquired this." he took out the guiding ring he had found. "And I don't know who to give it to."

"Lucius." Naruto said a few seconds later, the young man stepping forward. "I've decided upon you to promote." Lucius could not help but look shocked as Marcus handed him the ring, the teenager taking it and placing it upon his middle finger before clenching his fist and placing it into the air, a blinding flash of light engulfing him for a moment before he reappeared, looking a good bit wiser and smarter.

"Thank you Naruto." he replied, a warm smile on his face before he walked over to Raven's side, who still had that grudging look in his eyes. _'Lord Raven...'_ he thought sadly as Naruto turned to face the thick shrubbery.

"Everyone, stand back." Naruto told them, the group backing off from Naruto as he made one hand seal. "Shadow clone jutsu." the group watched in mild surprise as several clones of Naruto appeared, the man nodding to his duplicated who all went through hand seals alongside the original. "Wind release! Great breakthrough!"

As the massive bluster of wind shot forward the clones all went through the same hand symbol. "Fire release! Fireball jutsu!" the four huge balls of fire that shot forward into the thick shrubbery fused with the flames, creating a large firestorm that tore through the trees like paper, leaving many trees on fire and others torn to shreds.

After several moments of letting the carnage disperse Naruto dispelled his clones. "Ok team." He said as he turned around, seeing everyone that had gathered including the new addition that was standing next to Florina, Lyn and Keiko. "As we've arrived, let's get moving. Dragon's gate! Here we come!" he said enthusiastically, several of the men thrusting their weapons into the air before they all started moving as a group towards their destination.

After several hours' worth of walking, the group finally came across the ruined trees that were the turning point for them. "We head west." Guy said to a couple who were near him. "Uhai was from Sacae who were known for always keeping their word." He added. _'And part of me is still somewhat regretful of making that blasted oath with Matthew.'_ He thought with an impassive look.

Just as they were about to continue Naruto suddenly felt a feeling he had not felt in a long time. It was brief, lasting if only for a second. _'That was the same feeling when that snake sealed off my access to the fox's chakra all those years ago.' _he thought, suddenly becoming a little more alert to the surprise of those near him. "Keep on alert everyone." Naruto told them, his stance alert and on guard as they stopped around a small forest.

It was lucky that Naruto had told them to keep on guard as several black fang appeared from teleport circles, uttering a battle cry and charge forward. In two flashes of light two of them dropped dead courtesy of Lucius, and the remaining shaman fell dead from a lightning spell from Serra who seemed rather pleased with herself.

"Naruto! Strategy!" Eliwood ordered, Naruto nodding and thinking up a plan as quickly as he could as to who would attack and who would defend.

"Ok. Oswin, Dart, Hector, Eliwood Bartre and Raven will make the forward assault. Lucius, you will support them the best you can. Kent, Sain, Marcus, Dorcas and Lyn will follow the others to keep them covered from any flank attacks. Florina, your solo mission is to head south to those ruins and collect whatever you can find. Finally, Matthew, Leila, Erk, Priscilla and Keiko will guard Merlinus. Everyone else, stick together and support whoever you can."

"Naruto." Florina said as everyone moved into position, ready to move out. "This is my sister Fiora. She knows of our...relationship with the others..." the female had blue hair and more or less the same clothes as what Florina was wearing, though she wasn't a promoted unit and could only wield a lance that looked way too heavy for her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Fiora." The blonde haired man replied warmly, making her smile slightly though the scowl that replaced it made Naruto feel a little unnerved. "I would send you down with Florina but you don't look very experienced." She was about to say something when Naruto continued. "I assure you that once you've gone through my training course you'll understand how skilled your sister is. But for now, please stick with the group that is nearest to Merlinus so you can keep our storage booth safe."

Looking a little puzzled but nodding in understanding she took off to the timid man's side. "Let's move." Naruto called out to everyone, everyone nodding and moving at the same time to get rid of the threat in front of us. _'I feel somewhat like old man Sarutobi, though not old and full of wrinkles and easily bested by my sexy jutsu.'_ he thought, a feeling of guardianship washing over him. _'I feel more like a clan head.'_ he admitted to himself, a smile working onto his face.

Oswin and Dart worked together in tandem as several knights walked towards them, their hard armour being no match for Oswin's natural strength or Dart's sheer advantage with axes. As three shamans walked forward to take out the fearsome duo they were crashed into hard by Bartre and Raven, who each took down a shaman and left the last one who thought he had a lucky break only to be wiped out by both Serra and Lucius, a double lightning spell from them both tearing through the man and eliminating him with no problem.

As Oswin continued on his way a brigand suddenly jumped him, managing to hit him hard on his armour and damage him for very little. Grunting slightly he was saved when Raven charged in, his sword making short work of the axe user. "Oswin!" Hector called to him. "We're going to need Serra up with us. Go back and get her."

"Yes milord!" he replied before pulling back, passing Lyn's group and finding Serra in deep prayer.

"Ok, let's see...Saint Elimine, praise be your graces. Please ensure that no-one dies in this battle. Please grant me speed to heal my allies' wounds. And, um, what else..." Oswin heard Serra say as he walked up to her.

The man said nothing as she continued. "I want Hector to give me a lot of gold, and I want to get all the good food and only have to do all the fun jobs, and I want a servant who does whatever I say, and everyone should worship me and give me things, and...uhh..."

"This is an unorthodox prayer. Does it go on much longer?" he announced himself.

"Lord Oswin!" exclaimed Serra in shock as she opened her eyes. "Ohh...where you listening, that whole time?"

"I have orders for you from Lord Hector." He spoke in a stern tone. "You must join the healers on the front line..."

"What! You're joking." She replied as she stood up.

"Joking?" his facial expression was one that he surely was not joking.

"You want me to be right up in the front, where all the sword and axes and spears are? Why should I be up there?" she looked a good bit confused, considering she hadn't really paid attention to Naruto.

"...in a normal fight, you wouldn't. But this time's different. Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood are on the front line. If we, their retainers, do not help them, then what are we? Perhaps you convinced Lord Hector to go easy on you last time? Not this time. Go to the front lines and do as you are told."

"...Yes milord..." Oswin watched her walk off, muttering things to herself as he clutched his chest plate, feeling the effects of that axe. Taking a deep breath he knew that he would be ok and joined up with Lyn's group, giving her a nod to begin moving before joining in with them.

As the group arrived at the southern tip of the mountain the air suddenly changed from normal to distorted and corrupt, almost as if something was blocking the air from being completely clean. The group noticed it almost immediately and began to look around, feeling a little irate and also annoyed with every little thing that seemed out of place. From behind them however there was a disappointed shout as they saw Keiko attempting to try out her chakra, only to get nowhere.

"Keiko!" said a voice as Naruto came crashing down the mountain, colliding with her and taking her to the floor unintentionally. "Calm down." he told her as he laid on her, the female pouting in disappointment before smiling and taking a good long kiss from her lover. Disconnecting the kiss Naruto jumped up, Keiko flipping up and landing in front of Naruto. "As long as we stay out of the area I have a feeling that we'll be ok."

"Aww..." whined Keiko in disappointment before squeaking as Naruto ran a hand around her and squeezed her rear, making her jump onto him and wrap her legs around his waist.

"Keiko, I know you cannot get enough of me but you can wait until the evening." He told her, the girl pouting in disappointment as she slid off of him. "Come on, let's go help those out who need it." her face brightened up at this before bouncing off towards the southern part of the area, well out of the reach of the distortion.

Eliwood was having a decently easy time up front against the supposed sage that they were supposed to be fighting. "Thunder! Thunder, hear my cry!" he called out only for his magic to fail him, leaving him a very easy target for Eliwood.

'_He may be disarmed from using magic but that's only because of the distortion.'_ He thought as the sage did his best to evade the various attacks Eliwood was doing, managing to dodge almost all of them except for two that had hit across his torso for light damage. _'Unless I take him down quickly this magic barrier is going to vanish and he'll be able to use magic again.'_ He added as the sage backed off, Eliwood looking at his rapier that was still in good condition before bringing it up. "Time to try this out..." he muttered before slicing the air twice, standing with his sword facing away from the sage before he shot forward, his blade moving too fast for the sage to dodge effectively and the sword slamming into his shoulder.

The sage winced in pain as Eliwood quickly withdrew his sword and backed off, letting Hector run in with his axe and take over. Hector knew that he was going to find hitting him a challenge and decided to go for the fast and weak approach, rather than rely upon his axe to cut the man in two in one strike. "Eliwood!" Lyn shouted as she appeared with Kent, Sain, Marcus, Dorcas and Oswin. "This air is...really making me uneasy..."

"Tell me about it." Eliwood responded. "Marcus. Scout out the area with everyone but Lyn and Oswin for the source of this. Keep your guard up." Marcus nodded to his master's words as he walked off with the others following him, missing out on Hector landing a harsh blow on the man's head and cutting his head in two, straight down the middle much to Lyn's mild disgust.

Marcus kept his guard up as, sure enough, he came across the source of the disturbance. A cloaked man stood surrounded by four promoted units, two snipers either side of him and a general in front and behind him. "Sain, Kent, you two take the snipers. Dorcas, take the general at the back. Leave the general at the front to me. When they have fallen we will attack the cloaked man at the same time." The three men nodded and moved around to their location, Sain and Kent charging into their targets and dispatching them with ease.

Marcus didn't have the best skill of axes so he chose for the steel lance he had been using, engaging the general as Dorcas tore down the general that stood behind the cloaked figure. Dodging the first swing Marcus shot forward, his steel lance stabbing into the shoulder blade of the man to slow him down from getting in other hits. _'What?'_ thought Marcus as the armoured figure seemingly did not care to its wound and threw its lance forward, Marcus' horse moving out of the way on its own accord to evade the blow before charging forward, giving Marcus a chance to stab the armoured man in his head. Marcus' triumphant smile vanished to be replaced with shock as the four slain corpses simply corrupted into a black dust that was quickly blown away, leaving them baffled for a moment.

Marcus nodded to the group as they shook off their surprise, charging the cloaked figure and all striking at the same time, the figure simply taking the blows before suddenly vanishing, leaving behind a very confused group. Before they had a chance to work out what the cloaked figure was doing here the air began to ease and clear up, the four men taking relieved breaths of fresh air. "We should inform the others." Dorcas, surprisingly, told them as he spotted something on the ground where the figure is. "A silver card?" he said as he picked it up, the others all looking to each other with hints of worry and concern on their faces.

As they returned to the ruins that Eliwood had seized they saw Naruto alongside Keiko there, Lyn, Florina and Fiora were also there talking with him. "Naruto." Dorcas said as he walked up to him, getting the fully dressed man's attention. "We took care of the source of that magic seal."

"What was causing it?" Keiko questioned, looking a little sour.

"It was a cloaked person." Kent told them, Sain nodding to his friend's words. "We could not see his face but when we took down his guards they...crumbled to dust." He looked a little unhappy. "I apologise Naruto but he got away from us."

"He fled?" Fiora spoke, looking alert as she gripped her lance harder. "We should give chase! He cannot have gone far."

"No." Naruto told her, stopping her from going anywhere. "He's left the immediate area so we're safe from his effect for now." Fiora gave Naruto a small frown but accepted his word. "We'll need to be wary of this threat, as my techniques seemed to be dampened and weakened when I'm in the area."

'_That's why you went flying down the mountainside!'_ Florina and Lyn thought with worry in their eyes as they both glanced at the man they loved, and did not mind sharing him with each other.

"Naruto." Eliwood said to get his attention. "Shall we get moving? It will be nightfall soon and I would prefer not to be out in the open."

"True. Alright Kent, Sain, Marcus, you three will go and collect Merlinus and anyone who is waiting at the back. Once we've all gathered we'll head west to the ruins and set up camp there to keep ourselves safe." Eliwood smiled in response to Naruto's instruction as he saw Ninian look at Naruto curiously, a tint of a blush upon her cheeks. "Eliwood, tonight I'll leave it to you to look after Ninian. She still may have amnesia after being found at sea."

The red haired man nodded as Florina grabbed Naruto's coat. "Naruto, here." She handed him a unique stone that looked like a goddess praying. "This was given to me by a priest in the ruins. He seemed very...distant and quiet." Naruto took it from her and gave her a kiss on the lips, making her let out a low moan of delight.

"Fiora, this is for you." Naruto told her after he stopped kissing his lovebird and handing the idol to the blue haired woman, who looked surprised to receive such a gift. "I know you do not approve of what your sister is in, but it is her decision completely. I will say that I love her, Lyn and Keiko with my heart completely and I will move heaven and hell to keep them safe."

Fiora was, for a lack of better words, silenced. She could hear the strength in his tone and realised that Naruto meant every word he said, and he had no intention of going back on it. "It's not fair." Fiora said a moment later as Merlinus came back with everyone else. "Florina, why can't I find a good husband like yours?"

The surprised silence was broken by giggles and a chuckle from Naruto. "You'll find your special somebody someday sister." Florina assured her.

"Ok everyone." Eliwood spoke up, getting the attention of everyone including Serra who didn't look happy to be where she was. "As it's beginning to get dark we will head west as much as we can to the ruins where we'll make camp. We're moving as fast as we can go to get there, understood?" everyone all gave nods of agreement to Eliwood's words before picking up their weapons and gear and moving out alongside the man. _'Hold on father. We're coming.'_ He thought as he walked alongside Marcus and his most trusted companions while everyone else followed him.

Sure enough, nightfall came along as they approached the ruins just over an hour later. "Bah! We can't go anywhere in this darkness." Hector muttered in an annoyed tone.

"We got where we needed to though." Naruto reminded him, the man giving a nod of agreement. "In the meantime we need to...wait, where has Ninian gone?" looking around Naruto realised that there was no sign of the blue haired dragoness, much to his confusion. "Has anyone seen Ninian about?"

"Ninian!" Lyn called out, pointing to a lit part of the ruins where, sure enough, the blue haired girl was seen running into the ruins and into the darkness that had befallen the mysterious ruins. "Ninian! Come back!" Lyn shouted into the darkness but there was no answer, the Lorca female turning to look at Naruto worriedly who nodded.

Taking a step towards the direction that Ninian had gone a person wearing a black robe teleported in, looking at them with a calm expression. "So, you have arrived..." he said calmly, not even appearing fazed as everyone armed their weapons. "It seems as though I have not given myself completely to the darkness." He mused to himself, Naruto watching him like a hawk as he looked down at the book in his hands.

"Who are you?" Naruto questioned.

"To fully obtain the power of darkness, one must erase oneself to become but a vessel to receive the darkness, for if your disposition is weak, the dark will overwhelm you and often, you will forget even why you sought power in the first place." He told them before his face broke out into a cold smile. "I am Teodor, the shadow hawk of the black fang." He told them before vanishing, Naruto suddenly realizing that the black fang was hidden in the darkness and had every intention to kill them.

'_We can't fight at full effectiveness with the darkness surrounding us.'_ the blonde haired man thought as everyone armed their weapons. "In this darkness we're not going to get far. As he called himself the shadow hawk that would indicate he's a druid. Canas, Lucius, Serra, you three along with Dorcas, Raven, Bartre and Oswin will take the centre. Matthew, you'll head north with Marcus, Lowen and Rebecca while Leila will head east with Kent, Sain and Fiora."

Fiora gasped slightly as she rubbed the goddess idol in her hand, accidentally activating its power as the lucky object imbued her with its power permanently. "I'll do my best." She told Naruto, who gave her a nod as she flew next to Leila, who looked at her and smiled before turning to look down the narrow path. "I won't let anyone down, no matter the cost." She told herself as she armed her javelin, her slim lance that she had traded for a steel lance sitting at her side.

"Let's move."

Leila, Fiora, Kent and Sain shot down the narrow path, the red head running into trouble almost instantly in the form of a knight halfway down. Evading the first strike Leila attempted to retaliate with her silver dagger only for the dagger to miss him by inches, Fiora knowing it was her time to shine and tossing her javelin forward managing to, by either sheer luck or bad timing on the knight's part, stab him in the shoulder doing the most miniscule of damage.

The lance that was stuck in his shoulder stopped him from attacking the Pegasus knight effectively, and gave Fiora the chance to back off to let Kent and Sain shoot in, lances armed and double-teaming the knight with two perfectly aimed strikes, ending his life._ 'I barely did anything to him...' _though Fiora as she reclaimed her lance, watching as Leila shot forward with Sain to loot the two chests. _'Am I really that untrained?' _she thought as she remembered Naruto's words. _"I would send you down with Florina but you don't look very experienced. I assure you that once you've gone through my training course you'll understand how skilled your sister is."_ The words echoed in her head as she looked down at her lance, realising she was more of a hindrance than anything else.

"Fiora." Kent said, snapping her out of her momentary absent-mindedness. "I know Naruto's words can sometimes be demoralising but he knows what he's talking about. If you don't feel up to fighting at the moment then you can pull back."

"I...thanks." she replied before retreating back down the alley, arriving at the small camp where Naruto alongside the lords were. "I was told to pull back..." she said to Naruto, looking downcast.

"Fiora." He replied, the girl looking at him. "You did what you could. Stay with Florina for now." she nodded and moved to Florina's side who immediately jumped off of her mount and got onto Fiora's Pegasus before hugging her sister.

"Sis, don't worry. When we've finished here, you and I can train together to grow stronger ok?" Florina told her sister as she hugged her tightly, the elder female throwing her hands around her sibling and burying her face on Florina's shoulder.

Lucius smiled slightly as he took down another shaman with his book of lightning, Raven sticking close by with his sword armed to keep his companion safe. _'I'm feeling better now.'_ Lucius thought with a quick glance at Raven.

"Still under the weather, are you, Lucius?" Raven asked as Dorcas, Bartre and Canas watched Serra dodge a dark magic attack easily.

"No, I'm better now. Sorry to be such a...burden..." Lucius replied, looking a little downcast.

"Something you want to say to me, then?"

Lucius looked up in shock. "Ah! How did you know?"

"Just look at your face! It's about the revenge on Ostia, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes..." Raven's eyes narrowed. "Is...is there no way your heart can be changed?"

"If I wanted to change how I felt, I wouldn't be here."

"The marquess of cornwell and his wife...they were very important to me...I feel such sadness that they are gone...yet still!"

"Settling this grudge will not bring them back." Raven replied coldly and harshly. "Should we bury Hector to spite Ostia, that would just give rise to more hate."

"If you understand, then why do you proceed? Tell me...why?" pleaded Lucius.

"Two summers have passed since the house of cornwell was destroyed. You tell me to forget the crime that was committed. Have the teachings of the benevolent gods given you the strength to love thine enemy?"

"No...no that's not it, Lord Raymond!"

"I...I have no such strength. And to think we were nothing more than a temporary family to you. Is that it?"

"Lord Raymond, listen to me! You're wrong; it's just that I..."

"If you have objections to my actions, you need not come. Go where you will! Is that what you want?" he told him before walking off.

"Lord Raymond!" Lucius called after him and was about to follow when Dorcas placed a hand upon his shoulder, shaking his head when Lucius looked at him. "Lord Raymond..."

"So, you have come." The druid told Serra and Oswin as they entered the small area where the man was. Without so much of a warning the druid thrust forward his palm, attempting to drain Oswin of his strength in the belief that he was just another knight. Unfortunately for the druid what he didn't count on was Oswin having been trained hard by Naruto, and the spell missing him as he evaded it with some effort, surprising the druid as Serra charged up her staff and launched forward her lightning tome, hitting him hard.

"Oswin! It's all you!" Serra told him, the knight nodding as he charged forward with his lance and attacked, the druid dodging the move and retaliating, hitting Oswin with his Nosferatu tome and expecting to drain a good bit of his strength. Oswin barely felt the drain due to his defences and struck a second time, his lance hitting him in the stomach and leaving him dangerously wounded. "I'll finish him." Serra told Oswin in a confident tone as she powered up her staff, hitting the druid with a powerful blast of lightning that effectively finished him off.

"This is what I spoke of...if only I had more power..." he muttered before falling back, dead.

"Well done Serra." Oswin complimented the pink haired female, who was grinning triumphantly at him. "Let us pull back for now so we can inform Lords Eliwood and Hector about the enemy commander." The pinkette nodded to his words and they left the room where the corpse was, completely missing the picture on the wall of several dragons that laid and stood next to men, women and children.

"Oswin!" Hector said as they returned, Matthew and Leila's group having returned moments ago. "Is the enemy commander defeated?" seeing him nod he turned to face Naruto, who was talking to Fiora and holding a lance in his hand. "Naruto!" he called out, getting his attention. "The enemy commander's defeated."

"We'll continue this conversation later, ok Fiora?" he told her, Fiora giving him a nod as she took back her lance. "Ok everyone, split into groups and search for Ninian. Stick within visual distance of each other so you can support one-another should you run into hostile forces."

Lyn concentrated as she made her way towards a dimly lit room, located deep into the ruins that the group were searching to look for Ninian. _'Could she be down here?'_ Lyn thought as she stepped into the room, seeing a familiar person in front of her. "Ninian!" Lyn exclaimed in surprise before walking up to her, touching her shoulder.

"L-Lyn?" Ninian replied as she turned around, looking at the green haired swordswoman with confused eyes. "This place...feels familiar..." turning around to look at a picture Lyn moved to her side, looking at the painted image of a human touching the muzzle of a dragon. The figure was wearing a cloak and the dragon had a warm stare upon it, almost as if the two in the painting knew each other.

"Is that...a dragon?" Lyn asked as she walked up to get a better look. "It's almost as if they know each other...dragon and human...living alongside each other." Reaching her hand up Lyn touched the dragon, seeing the look within its eyes. "No...they were in love..." dropping her arm Lyn turned to face Ninian. "Let's return."

Three days later

Three days had passed since the group had arrived on Valor, and not much had happened in those days. The large group had mostly travelled towards the dragon's gate, which had taken a lot longer than they had expected due to the furiously thick forests that had barred their path. Though the forests had been cut down to size thanks to Naruto and Keiko they had begun moving cautiously, as they knew they weren't far from the dragon's gate and didn't want to be ambushed.

Fiora had begun training with Florina and Lyn in various things, realising by the end of the first day exactly how skilled her sister was. Though she was shocked at the substantial gap between where they stood Fiora did not give up in the training she was doing with them, realising that she had quite a long way to go and a lot to learn in such a short time. Her biggest surprise came when she walked in on Florina and Lyn with their lips locked and their hands on each other that night, the woman looking a little disgusted and ever so slightly aroused by such an event.

"We're here." Naruto told Eliwood as they entered the outside of the building that contained the dragon's gate. "From what I remember the dragon's gate is at the back, so we have to fight our way through." Eliwood nodded to Naruto's words as he looked around, realising it was quite quiet.

"It's too quiet." Lyn muttered as everyone looked around. "Something's wrong..."

"Ninian?" Eliwood spoke, Naruto turning to see the girl trembling fearfully.

"I shouldn't be here...something will happen if I am here..." she muttered through her trembling, Eliwood placing an arm around her to try and comfort her.

"I should pull her back." Eliwood told them, Naruto nodding to his words as everyone parted and let Eliwood and Ninian retreat. "Don't wait up for me." he called from a short distance away.

"Sir Naruto, may I stay with Eliwood?" Marcus asked Naruto who gave him a nod and retreated to his side.

"Lyn, you'll take everyone who was in Lyndis' legion apart from Erk and Florina and move upwards. Raven, you'll be with Lyn for this. Hector, you'll take everyone else and head through the door and go east. We're aiming for a pincer attack on the throne. Matthew and Leila, I want the two of you scouting out for any treasures that the enemies have in the form of chests and whatever you can pickpocket from them."

Just before they could move into position there was a shout of pain from behind them, Naruto turning around just in time to see Ninian being held by the cloaked man he had thumped earlier before the two vanished, his laugh echoing through the ruins. "I'm sorry lord Eliwood...lord Eliwood?" Marcus spoke, seeing the sheer raw fury that had come onto the man's face.

"Naruto." Eliwood said as he walked towards him, his rapier in his right hand and his cloak billowing about behind him. "I am taking the centre."

"Eliwood." Naruto responded, the man looking at him as he stopped in front of him. "Don't go getting yourself killed. Stay with Lyn's group until you reach the front door." the man gave a nod as he walked to Lyn's group, Marcus looking ashamed as he walked up to him. "Don't blame yourself. For now stay with Hector as he will need your skill more than Lyn will."

As the Black Fang finally made their appearance Naruto turned to Keiko. "You, my nymph, have the pleasure of taking whatever is in that room." he pointed to the south-western room and laughed as Keiko squealed happily, turning her attention to the room with an evil smile on her face. "Ok everyone, let's move."

Eliwood was the first to shoot forward, his face alive with anger as he took down the unfortunate mercenary in his way with a well aimed slash to his neck before running on ahead. Pausing to stop at the door he suddenly jumped back, dodging an axe that would've fatally wounded him if not killed him. "I've been waiting for you, son of Pherae." He told him, Eliwood taking a deep breath as he clutched his rapier a little tighter.

"Then I had better not disappoint." Eliwood responded as he engaged the paladin, blocking the first strike with ease and retaliating, missing the man by inches. The two exchanged strikes that were either parried or dodged, the latter more so in Eliwood's case, before he saw the chance he needed and took it, jumping onto the wall and pushing himself off and with expert skill, slicing straight through the paladin's neck.

Picking up the door key the man had he turned to see Matthew open the door, nodding to the thief as he entered with Wil, Dorcas, Kent and Sain following him. "Eliwood..." Lyn got his attention, the man turning to face her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Lyn. I'm close to my father, I just know it." he told her, Lyn nodding. "Thanks for being concerned though." he added as he turned around, engaging the cavaliers and using his rapier to whittle them down before finishing them off, Lyn watching him take down the first one before entering the area where everyone else had gone.

"Oh my, well this is quite a predicament." A voice came from up ahead as Lyn followed it through, arriving at a surprising sight where Kent and Sain had a thief with purple hair at sword point. "I don't suppose you could call them off do you?"

"Who are you?" Lyn asked; her sword about to be drawn. "Are you in league with...?"

"The black fang? I was until I realised that they were going downhill. Oh yes, where are my manners? I am Legault, the former hurricane of the black fang." Legault introduced himself.

"Kent, Sain, lower your weapons. He isn't our enemy." Lyn told them, the two men complying a second later. "Now why are you here?"

"I was planning to raid their coffers and take my leave, but I was alas found out by you." he replied courtly with a small smile. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

"You said former black fang right?" Legault nodded. "Would you consider joining us?"

"Joining you? Now that is an offer I cannot refuse. You provide me shelter and I supply you with information, does that sound fair?" Lyn gave him a nod of agreement. "Then it is settled. Where do you want me to go?"

"For now, stay with Matthew. When we've seized the throne we'll let you know." Legault nodded as he moved to the other thief's side, the two sharing a nod of acknowledgement.

As Eliwood unlocked the door and walked inside he was greeted with two shamans that both launched their spell of flux at him, the man dodging them both and using his speed to land a direct strike upon the left one before catching the right one off guard and finishing him. Turning to face the throne he saw Darin, the marquess of Laus, standing in front of it and armed with a silver lance, a weapon that Eliwood knew would wound him badly if he got hit by it. "Darin!" Eliwood said as he stepped forward. "Your treachery ends here!"

"Ha ha! I will never fall to the likes of you!" he responded as he threw his lance forward, Eliwood dodging it just as Lyn and Hector appeared and charged at the same time. "What!" the man roared as he blocked Hector's axe with his own and took Lyn's strike to the side, doing almost nothing due to his armour. Pushing hector away his lance returned as he attempted to stab Lyn, the girl dodging it as Eliwood charged in, his attack being blocked as Hector saw the opening and attacked, hitting the man in his shoulder.

Though the effectiveness of the axe against his armour was enough to shatter his shoulder plate he moved before the weapon could touch his flesh. "So, you're marquess Ostia's younger brother..." Darin told Hector as Lyn and Eliwood backed away to attack again, Hector standing in front of his allies.

"I couldn't care less if you've got a grudge against Ostia. I'll put up with your treachery no longer!" Hector replied with an aggressive shout.

"Heh heh...Ostia is no longer my concern...nor is the whole of Lycia...the only goal worthy of my attention is the entire world!" he proclaimed as the others appeared, armed and ready to fight.

"You're mad!" Hector spoke for everyone before taking a deep breath. "Time to finish this. Eliwood, Lyn, I need your support." Placing his axe onto his shoulder he closed his eyes for a second as Eliwood and Lyn shot forward, Darin throwing his lance forward at Eliwood who blocked the attack as Lyn struck his axe. "Now." throwing his axe back, Hector used his impressive leg strength to propel himself into the air, Darin not noticing the descending shadow until it was too late.

The Wolf Beil belonging to Hector ripped into his chest, smashing effortlessly through his armour and leaving a fatal wound in his chest. "This is...my blood!" he cried as he backed off, tripping over the step and landing on the throne hard. "Ephidel! Come...to me. Your master...calls you! I am...the ruler...of...this...world..." he muttered before finally going silent and dying upon the throne.

"He was a madman." Naruto said five minutes later, after the word got around that Darin was dead and everyone had gathered. "Consumed by his own lust for power..." _'Much like someone I knew.'_ Naruto thought as he looked to Eliwood.

"Eliwood let's go!" Hector called from the stairs. "We've got your father to save!" the man nodded before charging over to Hector's side, Lyn, Naruto and Keiko following him.

The group of five charged up the stairs, Eliwood taking the lead. "Father!" he called out, receiving only silence as a response. "Father! It's me Eliwood! I've come to save you!" he called out, still receiving nothing.

"It's dark in here. I can barely see a thing..." Hector informed them.

"El...Eliwood..." came a weak reply.

"Ah! Father!" Eliwood replied before running further up the stairs, Naruto keeping his eyes peeled as he followed him with the other three. "Father! Where are you?"

"Back there! His voice is coming from back there!" exclaimed Lyn, the group nodding to each other and moving further up, running into the weakened man from his lack of food.

"Ah! Father! You...you're all right..." Eliwood said with relief.

"Eliwood...wait! For-forget me! Take the girl and flee!" the red head told his son as he pointed to none other than Ninian.

"Ninian!" Eliwood called out to her, Naruto noticing that her eyes were different. "Ninian it's me! Eliwood! Come on we have to leave!"

As Hector moved to the red headed man's side Naruto looked at the gate that was behind Ninian, feeling untold amounts of chakra radiate from it. _'That tower reminds me of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path...though it's more of a gate than a sealing effort...'_ he thought as he looked to Keiko, who seemed to share his thoughts with an angry look upon her face. _'Keiko would be angry with it...the nine portions of her soul were contained by it and stopped her from fully becoming whole...'_

"You will not pass here." A monotone voice said from behind them, Naruto whirling around to see the red headed assassin from before.

"When did you?" Lyn attempted to say before pulling back to Naruto's side who stepped forward, the man looking at Naruto and drawing out his daggers.

"You must not fight that man!" cried Eliwood's father who was being supported by Hector. "That man...is dangerous. You cannot defeat him on your own."

"I can." Naruto told them confidently as he took a step forward, the assassin readying his stance. "Need another reminder as to how skilled I am assassin?"

"Be a good boy." spoke a new voice, everyone turning around to see Ephidel standing by Ninian's side. "And listen to your father, young master Eliwood."

"Ephidel!" Eliwood shouted with anger lacing his tone.

"Even among the black fang, that man is famous for his skill...you are no match for him, not even as a group. You've done well Jaffar, that is all. Return to Bern and begin your next assignment." In an instant the assassin was gone, Lyn looking at Naruto as he stepped forward. "Hear my word! I have an invitation from my master. In honour of your hard-fought arrival, he's prepared a special show for you."

"Stop it! You cannot release those dragons!" shouted Elbert.

"Father? What's this all about?" Eliwood questioned, looking a little puzzled as Naruto and Keiko looked to each other, somewhat worried.

"You will know shortly...at the expense of your father's life!" Ephidel flung out his hand and Naruto saw a chakra wave shoot towards him, the blonde haired man shooting forward and attempting to cancel the technique only for it to fail and hit Elbert, who suddenly began to feel very weak.

"Ghaa...ahh!" Elbert cried as Naruto's hands touched him, using his chakra to recover what strength Elbert had left.

"Father no!" Eliwood said as he saw him go down, Naruto catching him as Keiko shot over, attempting to use her chakra to heal him in conjunction to Naruto's healing method.

"Now Ninian." Spoke a new voice, Lyn, Eliwood and Hector turning to see a man wearing a turban standing next to the girl. "At last. Open the dragon's gate." Without a word the gate behind them sprang to life, Naruto watching as he could feel literal power emanate from whatever was on the other side of that gate. "That's it...come to us." coerced the man.

"Nergal...what's happening!" Eliwood shouted as the place began to rumble violently.

Then it happened.

With a roar and an explosion of flame the group saw a red scaled dragon, easily forty feet or higher, walk out with intensely hot flames erupting around it. Eliwood, Elbert, Lyn and Hector were dumbstruck as the beast stood behind the dancer and the cloaked men, roaring in anger at being disturbed. "It can't be..." Hector muttered in sheer shock.

"Ha ha! Yes, that's it! Squeeze every little bit of strength from your body! You will call dragons!" Nergal told her with relentless glee.

"I will not allow this!" spoke a familiar voice as another blue haired blur charged up to Ninian's side. "Ninian! Come to your senses! You must not do what they want!" he called out.

"Stop him!" Nergal ordered Ephidel, who was about to move until a surge of energy made him pale.

"Rasengan!" Naruto roared out as he slammed the ball of energy into Ephidel's gut, sending the man flying with a scream of pain. "Ninian!" he spoke before moving to her side.

"Ni...Nils..." she muttered as her eyes came back into focus. "Nils?"

"Here! Quick! Everyone flee! The dragon is crumbling!" before she could move Naruto threw an arm around her and jumped away, bringing her with him as Nils fled with everyone else. As they turned to look at the dragon there was an explosion of fire that engulfed the downed Ephidel before they were both dragged inside the gate, the portal sealing itself seconds after.

"It's gone." Naruto told them, everyone letting out a sigh of relief.

"No! I've failed! Nils, you whelp! If not for your interference...come! Both of you!" Nergal spoke as he teleported in then moved to grab them. Before Nergal could do so Elbert ran at him and stabbed his sword into his back, catching Nergal off guard. "Eh!" he cried in pain.

"You will...not!" Elbert said as Nergal pulled away, the sword still in his back. "I...told you. I...will oppose you...always..."

"Why...won't...you...die?" he muttered weakly before vanishing.

"Father!" Eliwood cried as the man slumped to the floor, Eliwood catching him as the group all surrounded him.

"Eliwood...be prepared. He will return..."

"All right, but for now...let's leave this island...let's go home."

"No, my son...I'm done here. You, Eliwood...you must finish this."

"Don't say that!" Eliwood had tears begin to fill his eyes as Lyn looked to Naruto, who closed his eyes and looked down, knowing the inevitable was going to happen. "Mother is waiting in Pherae...she's waiting for you father!"

"Ah...Eleanora...she will be cross with me. Eliwood...your mother...tell her...I'm sorry...so very...sorry..." he muttered before finally closing his eyes and the last of his strength left him, Lyn's eyes widening as tears filled in them for her friend before burying herself in Naruto's chest, Keiko looking saddened by the passing on.

"No...please, not now...not after all we've done to find you again...father...please...open your eyes..." tears ran freely from Eliwood's eyes as he hugged his father's corpse tightly.

"FAAAATHEERRRRRRR!"

(A/N: finally got this chapter done. Many things stopped me from getting this written up but I did it.

Leila wasn't informed that Naruto and his girls tend to screw each other's brains out of a night-time, hence her reaction to the females. Yes she will join the group (woohoo!) and will be placed with Matthew. As Leila dies in the official story she has no supports so I'll make three up for her with Matthew when the time comes.

The chat between Lowen and Rebecca, Oswin and Serra and Lucius and Raven is their actual C ranked support. Lowen and Rebecca makes a cute couple while Oswin and Serra make a hilarious couple. Raven and Lucius are best friends and I will not be writing any Yaoi between them, so that idea is out the window.

I apologise for focusing more on the lords this chapter rather than the others, however I'll make that up next chapter. Eliwood's reaction is to mostly be expected. His father is close, he has a potential girlfriend who is stolen from right in front of him and a small army tries to kill him! If that happened to you you'd be furious!)

Review corner:

Sh8ad8ow: well, here you are. Another chapter to enjoy!

RoyalTwinFangs: Naruto's class is Avatar and here's a description for everyone to know: "A human who's power transcends mortal ken." Naruto cannot become the black knight or black dragon as neither of those classes exists in game. While it's a good suggestion there's a good chance it won't appear. (Though the black knight class sounds good for a loyal retainer to the Bern throne...)

EXpERieNCed: You asked for some canon jutsu, and there you go! Another three added to the list. Also another person promotes into the second class tier.

Kyoshiro: you're welcome friend.

Final Shout Out: this goes to EXpERieNCed who has reviewed on every chapter of my story and also deserves a cookie for doing such a thing. Eventually the group are going to come to Four-Fanged offense and Pale Flower of Darkness. I am selecting YOU to decide where they go, either through PM or review. (I'd prefer the former but I don't really mind either way.)

Finally, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed/added story to favourites/alerts. Without your support this story wouldn't be where it is now.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

As the group arrived in Badon everyone felt demoralised and thoroughly confused as to what they were going to do next. Their sole mission to find out about the disappearance of Lord Elbert had been a success only for the man to die within his son's arms moments later, and everyone was sharing the pain and sorrow that Eliwood was going through, especially those who were closest to him.

Walking down the plank Eliwood was followed by Naruto who was carrying the cold lifeless form of his father in his arms, Elbert's expression being one more that he was in a deep sleep that he would never awaken from. The villagers of Badon who saw them return all had saddened expressions or had bowed their heads in respect, none of them saying anything as the group passed through the crowd that had gathered.

"Naruto." Eliwood spoke as they walked into the town properly. "I...would like to be alone...with my father..." Naruto gave him a nod as they entered the inn, the innkeeper seeing them and instantly gasping before wordlessly placing his hand towards the stairs. "Thank you." Eliwood told him as warm as he could before they all headed upstairs apart from some of the horseback riders who had gone to put their horses in the stables for the afternoon. Walking into the first room that was open Eliwood watched as Naruto placed the body of his father down on the bed.

"Come down when you're ready." Naruto told him, Eliwood nodding as Naruto clicked his fingers, producing a small flame that he lit up a nearby candle with before leaving the room, closing the door over after he left. "Let's wait for him." Naruto informed the others, the group nodding before heading downstairs where the innkeeper had signalled to the maids to get something to eat ready for them.

The food came moments later and everyone ate, several of the members stocking up on rations in the case that they ran out sometime down the future. _'Not likely with the way things are now.'_ Naruto thought as he ate a loaf of bread absentmindedly, Hector, Lyn, Keiko, Florina, Ninian and Nils sitting with him and eating at their own pace also. "We're going to be at an impasse for a while." Naruto informed everyone, who all gave nods of understanding.

Noticing Marcus leave Naruto was sure that he was going to send a letter to Eliwood's mother and inform her of the saddening news, though Naruto wasn't going to stop him as it was not his place to do so. "I'm going for a walk." Naruto told them as he stood up, the group turning to look at him surprised for a few seconds. "There's something I need to think on." they gave a nod as he left the table, Keiko watching him leave before relaxing in her chair.

"You're not going to follow him?" Hector asked her.

"No point. He's got things to think about." Keiko replied calmly.

Leaving the inn Naruto walked back down to the docks where Fargus and his mates, minus Dart, were having a good drink and something to eat with several of the villagers. Giving a quiet nod to Fargus when their eyes connected he nodded in understanding and continued with the small feast, letting Naruto head southwards to the long blocks of wood that stopped anyone from docking without permission. Jumping effortlessly onto the first one Naruto followed them down to the corner of Badon and relaxed, letting his thoughts wander about what they were going to do next.

'_Nergal…'_ Naruto thought. _'Could he be the one Shinigami was referring to?' _Dismissing that thought Naruto stood up on the block of wood and placed one fist to his mouth. _'It matters little if he is or not. I have faith that Eliwood and company can defeat him.'_ He convinced himself before looking up at the sky.

Naruto had never been one to wait patiently for things to happen as he had always found a way to keep himself occupied so he wouldn't have to wait as long for the time to pass. Through his training Naruto had done jobs that were both civilian and shinobi that effectively turned him the way he was now, and he had learned the exact importance of every person's role and how it helped in everyday life. _'Those years of training alongside Keiko really did open my eyes.'_ Naruto thought as he smiled.

Concentrating his chakra Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing back in the harbour before continuing on his way towards the inn where the others were. Pushing open the door Naruto walked inside and saw that everyone was still sitting around and waiting quietly for Eliwood to come down, no-one was making conversation to each other.

"This...this is my fault..." Ninian told the table sadly as Naruto took his seat back. "If I had not been captured...Then..." she trailed off as Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ninian, it's not your fault." Naruto told her, the others giving nods of understanding. "Don't blame yourself for things that were out of control." he added with a comforting smile, the girl looking a little happier from his words. "We'll have to keep our eyes and ears peeled though for any sign of the black fang. Now that they know who we are we'll be at constant threat from them."

The group at the table gave Naruto a nod of agreement, as the black fang were ruthless in their job and would kill them all just to silence them. "Isn't there anyone that we can go and receive aid from?" asked Lyn, looking around the table. "What about your brother Hector? Would he lend us aid?"

Before Hector had a chance to respond to Lyn's question there was a scream from outside that got everyone's attention, Keiko watching as Naruto stood up and went outside to see what the commotion was about. His eyes narrowed when he saw a large number of black fang in front of him, an armoured warrior who seemed to be their leader stepping forward. "Hand over the girl and boy and you shall live." He spoke in a slightly arrogant tone.

"How about this? You leave and I don't massacre you all." Naruto responded with a venomous tone, unnerving a few in the group.

The man simply frowned. "Then I shall kill you all!" he vanished into the crowd that rapidly spread out, ready to attack them.

"Naruto!" spoke Eliwood as he walked out of the inn, followed by everyone else who looked just as equally surprised to see him active. "Let's do this!" he told Naruto as everyone prepared themselves for battle, the horseback riders charging around to the stables to mount their rides.

Taking a quick glance at his surroundings Naruto noticed that it was getting dark. "Our vision's not going to be the best." He informed everyone who stood around him, the riders returning seconds later.

"Wait!" came a female's voice, the group turning to see Ninian running out with a set of elixir on her. "I want t-to make up for w-what happened on the Dread Isle. Please?" she looked at Naruto who saw the determination in her eyes and responded with a nod.

"Ok, Matthew and Leila, you're going to be our eyes for the night. Everyone, stick with them and keep them covered in the off chance an enemy tries an attack from either the air or afar. Eliwood, you and Ninian are to keep Merlinus safe. Oswin, Serra, Bartre, Guy and Rebecca will stay with you for support."

Everyone shuffled about and got into position as Naruto cried out. "Let's move." And let them charge into the spread out army, knowing that they would be fine working together in a team.

Raven was the first to run into an opponent, a monk armed with a book of shine. Steeling his grip upon the steel sword he had Raven shot forward as the monk concentrated his magic, launching a blast of shine directly at him that he dodged easily. Swinging his sword Raven struck the monk and injured him before he struck a second time and finished him off, a trail of blood leaking from the monk's chest as he crumpled to the floor.

His victory was short-lived as a wyvern rider flew in, spear armed and ready to fight. Raven instantly knew he was at a small disadvantage due to the rider having his weapon's weakness and the weapon itself being poisonous meaning he'd have to dodge it or fall victim to the poison for a short while. Fortunately he was saved when a blast of light magic struck the wyvern and disorientated it, Lucius appearing at his side. "You can rely on me lord Raven." The man told him, Raven giving a grudging nod of appreciation before a brigand made himself known.

Shooting past the wyvern that still looked as though it had gone headfirst into a castle tower Raven attacked the brigand, dodging the lousy swing with minimal effort before hitting the brigand in the chest with a well aimed slash. By chance the brigand dodged the second strike and swung his axe, Raven moving out of the way at the last second, giving Erk a chance to launch a fireball at the brigand and finish him off with little effort.

As a cry of pain came from the wyvern rider the beast promptly roared before taking to the sky and flying off, Raven turning to see Dorcas and Lowen appear with determined looks. "Let's go." Raven told them, the group nodding to his words and moving to the wall surrounding Badon where several black fang were waiting for them.

Kent and Sain, alongside Priscilla, Canas, Dart, Hector, Lyn, Florina and Marcus had moved ahead of the group to keep their eyes peeled for any trouble. Matthew, Leila and everyone who hadn't been ordered about otherwise had built up a small defence in front of the second arena, as the first one had been closed down for the evening, and were keeping their eyes peeled for any black fang that were daring to try their luck. "Lyn!" Florina cried as she pointed to Raven's group, who were engaging several black fang with a number of others flying about in the sky.

"Wil!" Hector shouted to the group, the youth looking to Hector who pointed to the fliers. "Take them out!" the youth gave a nod as Canas looked to Hector expectantly. "Canas, Florina, you go as well." the two nodded and took off into the fray as Hector turned to see Dart engaging a knight, the dual axe-wielder doing pretty well considering he had only been through a day's training with Naruto.

"Hector, I'm heading south to warn the villagers." Lyn informed him, the man nodding to her words before she took off to inform them of the impending danger. Walking around the side of the village Lyn was shocked to see a brigand about to enter the village and destroy it, her anger burning for a split second before she shot forward, unsheathing her blade and doing one slash across his waist. The brigand didn't even have a chance as Lyn stood on the other side, spinning her katana around and returning it to the sheath where the bandit fell into two pieces upon the click. "That takes care of him...wait, did I just do that?" shaking her head Lyn entered the village to warn them.

"Was that a wyvern that flew this way!" questioned the only villager at the front of his house, Lyn nodding to his words. "I want to know what Bern's wyvern riders are doing all the way out here!" Lyn simply shrugged. "I've heard that magic and bows will take them down no problem. However this will give them trouble!" he drew out a thick sword with a green handle and handed it to Lyn, who looked surprised at his gift. "That's a Wyrmslayer! You keep it, as I won't put it to good use and I know it'll help you more than it will help me."

"Thank you." Lyn told him warmly before taking her leave, the old man heading into his house and locking the door. Walking back up the path she came Lyn ran into both teams that were waiting for Lyn to return, only Wil looking slightly injured from the grazing on his armour he wore.

"Alright everyone, let's go." Hector told them as he walked out of Badon, two knights and an archer attacking him that Dart and Wil responded to. Dart went for one with his dual axes, dodging the attack from the one closest to him and retaliating, both axes making short work of his armour and leaving two deep gashes in his chest that he bled out from. The other wasn't as lucky as he was hit with a combo of flux, lightning and fire before going down alongside the archer who had two arrows stuck in him, one in his forehead and the other in his neck courtesy of both Wil and Dorcas.

"This fighting could have been avoided." spoke the leader, a warrior with a steel axe on his back. "Now I shall end this."

"Leave this to me." Hector told them as he armed his Wolf Beil and entered fighting range, the warrior charging forward with his steel axe equipped and attempting to get the initiative upon him. _'He's pretty fast.' _Hector thought as he defended the first strike and pushed him off, making an attack of his own that the warrior dodged. Swinging his axe the warrior hit steel as hector blocked again and swung a second time, the warrior dodging the bulk of the blow but took a hint of damage, the axe skimming part of his armour and scratching it.

Their blow exchange continued for a good minute, neither of them getting the upper hand on the other, before the warrior backed off and drew out his bow. _'Damn.'_ Hector thought as he placed away his Wolf Beil and drew out a handaxe that was in good condition, deflecting the arrow as he looked over to Matthew who looked ready to jump in. Tilting his head slightly to the young thief he nodded and shot in, the warrior being caught off guard as Matthew's dagger entered his side and the boy fiddled through his items without him knowing.

The warrior grunted in pain and switched back to his axe, swinging it at Matthew who evaded it easily and struck again, dealing an even deeper wound into his side as Hector swung his axe at him. The warrior fell to the ground, a fatal wound across his stomach where Hector hit and a deep wound in his side where Matthew had struck. "Ugh…" he muttered before succumbing to his wounds, Hector smiling as he placed his Wolf Beil away.

"We've cleared out the black fang." Hector told Eliwood and company as they returned to the group. "You gave us quite a fright Eliwood." A few of the group nodded in agreement as he looked sheepish.

"Sorry everyone. I'm fine now." he admitted, giving Hector a nod. "We'll have time for mourning when this is finished. For now, in my father's name, I will do everything I can to stop Nergal and bring peace to the lands."

"I see. So what do you have in mind?" the blue haired man questioned.

"We need to see marquess Ostia."

"My brother?" responded Hector in surprise. "Why?"

"After all we've learned…we can't not tell him can we?"

"Sure, I guess…"

"Hector? Why that odd expression?" asked Lyn, who was now standing by Naruto's side alongside Florina and Keiko.

"Hector doesn't want to meet Lord Uther." Eliwood explained with a hint of humour in his tone. "He's been lax in contacting him and is afraid to face him, right?" Lyn looked at Hector who had the decency to look a little annoyed.

"What! And how did you expect me to send him any messages when we were traipsing around the island like merchants on holiday?" Hector replied, Lyn and Florina giggling at his facial expression.

"Ha ha! He is going to be so mad!" Eliwood said before taking off.

"Come here!" Hector shouted before chasing after him, Lyn, Florina and Keiko sharing a giggle as Ninian watched their friendly game with a curious expression.

"Ha…they're both in good spirits." Lyn spoke absentmindedly. "It's a lot better than giving into despair, I suppose." She looked to Naruto, who gave her a nod of understanding. "It's been a long and hard day. I think I'm going to turn in early for tonight." She turned to Naruto and kissed him, taking several seconds to savour it before breaking apart and heading into the inn.

As Naruto watched Lyn enter the inn he felt a tug on his coat, looking to the source to see Florina blushing slightly. "Are you tired Florina?" he asked, the girl giving a nod. "I'll be staying up to keep watch as everyone looks dead on their feet." She pouted in disappointment but that was quickly gone as Naruto swooped down and pressed his lips on hers, Florina's blush vanishing as Naruto's tongue entered her mouth and his hands wrapped around her for a few seconds.

"Thank you Naruto." Florina told him as she broke away, looking a little tired. "I'll…see you in the morning ok?" her blush returned as she felt Naruto's hand slip underneath her dress and rub her back, though her smile told Naruto she was enjoying it.

"Sleep well Florina." Naruto told his beloved as he extracted his hand from her back, the girl taking her leave and heading inside the inn. "Ninian?" Naruto questioned, noticing she had been staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Naruto…" the blue haired girl walked up to him and looked sadly at the floor. "Can I…ask you something?" she asked, hearing no response from him and looking up. "Do you…have feelings for me?"

This question wasn't surprising to Naruto or Keiko for that matter as the two knew Ninian would ask it eventually. "I do have feelings for you Ninian but they are those of a brother to a sister, and not of romance." He answered, Ninian looking somewhat disappointed and unhappy. "Ninian, I've known for a while that you've had feelings for me but I don't have those romantic feelings for you. I care for you more as a brother would than someone who loves you."

Ninian responded by throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his chest, her unhappiness nearly making her shed tears. "Naruto…" she whispered.

"Hey, don't cry Ninian." He told her, placing one arm around her and rubbing her back to make her feel better. "I'm here for you as a brother." he began to feel teardrops upon his chest and he smiled slightly, placing his other hand on her head and keeping her close. "It's ok Ninian. It'll be ok." looking around Naruto saw everyone giving both him and Ninian sympathetic looks as Keiko placed her hand on Ninian's shoulder.

This was the scene that Eliwood and Hector walked back into. "What's going on here?" Eliwood asked in confusion, seeing Ninian in Naruto's arms and wondering what had happened in his momentary absence.

"Ninian was upset." explained Marcus, who had dismounted. "She has been through much over the past few days and the pressure has affected her." Eliwood's expression turned to one of understanding while Hector remained quiet. "My lord, are you feeling any better?"

"Marcus…I'm fine. I know I worried you." he replied as Ninian and Naruto separated, the blonde haired man wiping away the tears on her face.

"About Lord Elbert…at my own discretion, I sent a messenger to Lady Eleanora."

"…I see. Thank you Marcus that was well done." He replied calmly.

"…I thought she should know as soon as possible. The marquess' final moments were so very…noble…" Marcus' tone had a small amount of sadness in it, and Eliwood couldn't blame him.

"Mm." muttered Eliwood, feeling a little sad but knowing there wasn't much he could do. "I'm going to turn in for the night. It's late and the fighting tonight has really given me much to think on." Marcus gave a lone nod as Eliwood walked past him, his eyes alerting him to a flash of light emanating from Bartre as he promoted into a warrior and looked much more muscular and more experienced.

"Eliwood." Naruto got his attention as he was about to enter the inn, Ninian standing next to him with a sad smile on her face. "When we get the chance, I'll bring your father's body to Pherae." The young lord gave Naruto a small smile and a nod before entering the inn, a couple of the group following him. "Kent, Sain, Lowen." Naruto called to the three knights. "I'll take the watch for the evening." They gave a nod of understanding before heading indoors with the last of the group, Ninian giving him a smile before following suit. "Shadow clone jutsu." he muttered with his hands in the correct seal, two hundred clones appearing around him, all of them looking to him for orders. "Split up and keep watch over the town. If there's any disturbance disperse and let me know."

The clones all headed off to various locations to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of bandits or the like, leaving Naruto and Keiko to jump on top of the inn and keep their own watch. "I wonder what Florina and Lyn are up to…" Keiko said suddenly. "Anyway, what did you think about earlier?" she asked Naruto with a lusty look in her eyes.

"Kami's words before we came here." Naruto told Keiko as she wrapped herself in his arms, placing her back to him and smiling as his hands wrapped around her. "Shinigami's power is terrifying in its own right, and a person with a hint of it is a danger to everyone." Keiko turned around in his embrace and buried herself in his warm chest with a content smile on her face, feeling one of Naruto's hands leave her back and run through her hair.

"If he wants the power of dragons then we'll just have to stop him." Keiko answered as she threw her arms around him. "Old greybeard can help us out if things get challenging, and should the worst come to the worst and the dragons do return…" her sentence didn't need to be finished as Naruto knew what she meant.

They would rise to the challenge and eliminate the threat softly with grace.

The next morning

Hector's sleep was interrupted when a knocking on his door roused him from his slumber, part of him slightly dreading the meeting with his brother he was expecting later in the day. "That had better not be the messenger boy…" he grumbled as he sat on the edge of his bed and stretched. "Ok I'm coming." He responded to a second knocking, getting to his feet and walking over to his door.

"Good morning mister Hector!" the little girl from last night told him as he opened the door. "I have a letter for you from someone who delivered it this morning." She said quickly as she held it out, the man taking it and watching her scoot off to continue her errands.

"She's certainly hyperactive…" Hector mused to himself as he closed over his door and took a seat on his bed. _'Oh great, it's from my brother.' _he thought as he looked at the envelope that had the seal of Ostia on it._ 'Now let's see what he has to say.' _He thought as he ripped the side and opened it.

"_To my brother Hector. Though I expected you to do something rather reckless in your journey with Eliwood I am very displeased that you went to Badon without my approval, however after I read the part about Lord Elbert I understood your reasons and it saddens me to know that Eliwood's father has passed on. I am glad to know that you are all in fine health and have gained the aid of Naruto in your travels, and I understand you have a story to tell me that cannot be placed down on paper. Later today I will be leaving Ostia for a while and making my way southwards to the small fort that was used as a training ground for most of our soldiers when we were children, so we can meet there and I can be informed as to everything that has happened and what you desperately need to talk to me about. Your brother Uther."_

Hector read the letter a second time before smiling. _'I know exactly where that is. We could get there in half a day if we left soon.'_ He thought as he stood up and began to do his leg and arm exercises, remembering how good he felt during the day every time he did them. "Naruto's training has really changed my outlook on things." He told himself as he felt his own muscles, smirking as the appendage tightened up.

As Hector finished his morning exercises he managed to get his clean trousers on over a new pair of underwear as a knocking on the door got his attention. "Come in." he called out as he put on his clean trousers, Eliwood walking in looking a lot happier than he did last night. "Eliwood! You're looking well this morning." Hector told him, Eliwood smiling in response. "I received a letter from my brother moments ago. He's agreed to a meeting at the training fort our troops used to train at."

"That place?" Eliwood replied in surprise. "I suppose it's a start. Anyway, everyone's already up and waiting for us. Naruto's been scouting the area for any sign of black fang with Keiko."

"I take it there's been no news?" Eliwood shook his head.

"Our route there will be mostly free if we're quick. Anyway I'm going to inform everyone of our next destination." Eliwood received a nod from Hector before he left, walking past the now empty room where he had said his goodbyes to his father. _'I will finish this journey in your name father, and put an end to Nergal's evil.'_ He thought as he headed downstairs, seeing everyone eating and chatting to each other.

"Lord Eliwood!" Marcus spoke in surprise as the red head joined the table with Marcus and the various knights. "I did not see you there my lord. I was just telling the knights the story when you tried training on horseback for the first time."

Eliwood could not help but smile. "Like I was saying, our lord here mounts the horse just fine." continued Marcus. "The horse is perfectly fine with him and remains steady, until our lord gets the idea to whip the horse and made it take off." Eliwood had the decency to blush as Kent, Sain and Lowen began laughing, several others from other tables now listening in. "The chase that took place lasted for a good hour before we finally caught him."

"I was enjoying myself!" Eliwood defended before they all burst out laughing, several others nearby also laughing or smiling. When they stopped Eliwood's expression turned a little serious. "Hector received a letter from his brother not long ago. We're going to the training fort located about half a day towards Ostia."

"We can make it there in a quarter if we push." Naruto spoke from nearby, making them jump at his sudden appearance as a number of people jumped to their feet. "I'm only a clone; the original is outside waiting for everyone." The clone vanished as those who jumped up turned to Eliwood, who stood up alongside his knights.

"We should get ready." Eliwood's command made them nod as they stood up, double-checking they had everything before heading off to prepare themselves for the day ahead. _'I wonder if Naruto can give me some tips to learning how to use my rapier better?' _he thought as he saw Hector come down and walk over to the desk to get something to eat. _'I'll go and see him.' _he agreed before heading towards the door.

Leaving the inn he saw Naruto conversing with Keiko and a woman that looked very familiar. "Ah!" exclaimed the young lord as he recognised the female almost instantly. "Is…Is that you Isadora!"

"Lord Eliwood!" she exclaimed as he walked over. "I've finally found you. I'm glad you're well…" she added.

"Isadora, what are you doing here? Don't tell me something's happened to mother…"

"No, lady Eleanora is well. Do not worry. When word of Lord Elbert's death reached her last night…she said not a word…she merely gave her full attention to the messenger."

"…mother." replied Eliwood with closed eyes.

"Then, she issued me orders without hesitation. She commanded I deliver this sword to Lord Eliwood and remain at his side."

"But…the castle defences will be shorthand."

"Lord Eliwood…please, understand your mother's feelings. Lord Elbert is not coming home. All your mother can do now is pray for your continued safety. "Obey your father's dying wish." That is her message to you, and I have delivered it." she instantly dropped to one knee. "I am yours to command my lord."

"I…" Eliwood was rendered speechless as he looked to Naruto, who gave him a thoughtful look.

"Hey Eliwood, if Isadora here is going to come with us in our journey don't you think it would be an idea if she sparred and trained with Marcus and Lowen?" suggested the blonde haired immortal, Eliwood nodding to his words as Isadora stood up. "Though, we can't exactly do that now since we'll be leaving in about fifteen minutes." He added as Lyn and Florina came out, the two seeing their lover and instantly moving to his side. "Good morning girls." he told them as the duo wrapped themselves in an arm each and brought Keiko into the hug.

The second Isadora saw their interaction her expression turned to one of a scowl, as she had been brought up from noble heritage and had learned the rule of one man, one woman. However before she could voice her disapproval she saw the happy expressions of the four and realised that they were content with each other, her scowl fading and turning into a small frown as she looked to Eliwood, who seemed indifferent to all the kissing and hugging going on in front of him.

Before she could question Eliwood about Naruto and the girls however the inn door opened and everyone that was travelling with her lord came out, Isadora recognising a couple of them while the rest she did not. "Lady Isadora?" Marcus said in surprise as she turned to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sent here on orders of Lady Eleanora." replied the woman, turning her full attention to the man in question.

"Marcus." Naruto called, the man turning to look at him alongside Isadora. "Isadora's joined our cause but will need some tutelage from you. Teach her what I taught you." Marcus' surprised expression told Naruto his response before he gave him a nod and walked off to the stables, Isadora looking confused as she followed alongside the other riders, her horse going with them. "Matthew, Leila, Legault, I know you're there."

"Ah, you caught us." Matthew admitted cheerfully as he appeared alongside the rest of the group that came out of the inn, Leila and Legault appearing either side of him. "So what can I help you with today?" he asked in his cheerful tone.

"I'm leaving it to you to instruct Leila and Legault what I taught you during the time of Lyndis' legion." Matthew's cheerful expression vanished and was replaced by a serious look, one that Leila had never seen before. "Do what you must but don't go overboard." The orange haired thief gave Naruto a determined nod before grabbing Legault and Leila and walking off with them, Leila throwing Naruto a confused look before they vanished around the corner.

"So when do we leave mate?" asked Dart.

"Soon. We're just waiting for Hector to finish his food and we can get moving. We'll be moving pretty fast though, so I hope you can keep up." Naruto told the young pirate with a smile, Dart grinning in response.

Eight hours later

Though the journey to the fort took them a third of the day several of the group were more than happy to be here, feeling safe that they were under cover and in a building with little chance of being attacked. "We're here." Hector told the group as they arrived in the back room, the place looking somewhat clean as if it had been used within the past month. "My brother will meet us here."

"Isn't it risky for your brother to be leaving Ostia?" asked Lyn, who looked at Hector with a confused expression. "Shouldn't we be having the meeting there?"

"Too many spies." Hector responded as everyone stayed in the room on Naruto's orders. "Ostia is full of spies from almost every other nation. If all of us went in there to speak with my brother they'd know something was up, and word would travel easily." He gave Naruto a glance who nodded in agreement.

"There's something else." The blonde added, receiving some surprised stares.

"Mm. Bern." admitted Hector, several of the group glancing at the man as Naruto noticed Florina and Fiora begin talking quietly to each other. "My brother has been receiving very disturbing reports lately from there. King Desmond has been acting very oddly. From what reports have told, if he sees even the slightest crack in Lycia's defences, he will invade in full force."

"Completing what Ephidel set out to do." Eliwood's facial expression turned to one of anger though Naruto couldn't blame him, as it was he who had initiated Nergal's plot to bring chaos to the continent of Elibe. "Even if Bern does try to invade they won't get far, my reputation is too well known and many would flee the moment they saw me."

No-one looked surprised at that. Everyone had seen Naruto's abilities at least once and it had left them baffled, shocked and awed that he was capable of doing what he did, and Naruto was more than happy to let them get a view of what he could do as many times as they want. His chakra reserves were beyond immense after all, and he had the precise control to be able to do them with no trouble.

'_Why do I have the sudden urge to pounce Naruto?'_ came the collective thoughts of Lyn, Florina and Keiko who quickly glanced at each other before looking at the blonde, who had folded over his arms and gotten lost in thought.

"Nils!" came a terrified cry from the centre of the group, everyone turning their attention to the boy who had just passed out. "Nils please!" Ninian cried as the crowd parted, letting Naruto get through to the boy while Eliwood grabbed Ninian to calm her down. "Open your eyes!" she added as Naruto activated the diagnostic jutsu to check what was wrong with him.

'_His draconic core's been depleted, but how? He was perfectly fine when we got here.'_ Naruto thought as he cast his mind around. _'A draconic core does not recover until the dragon in question has rested well, meaning Nils must have stayed up all night worried.'_ Cancelling the jutsu Naruto stood up; looking at Ninian as understanding dawned on his face. "The good news is he's fine, just very exhausted." He told them, receiving a few relieved looks from everyone around. "The bad news is he needs to rest and remain in this spot, otherwise we run the risk of damaging his bodily core and rendering his power unstable and dangerous."

Before they had a chance to discuss plans a knight came running into the room. "Lord Hector!" he shouted, getting their attention and parting to let him through. "A large force of mercenaries have appeared south of this fortress! They bear the crest of Laus and are led by the Hurricane, Eubans!" he told them, Hector looking to Naruto for a plan.

"Hector, you will take the right side. Lyn, you'll take the left. Florina, Fiora, you two plus Eliwood and Ninian will defend Nils. Soldier, you'll get all of your armoured pals to defend the stairs. Leave the central route to me. Everyone else will split into small groups of about five or six and work together to defend." Seeing everyone give him surprised looks he added. "What? I need to get out and stretch my legs now and then."

"Naruto." Legault spoke up. "I have this member card which should come in handy in the future." Showing the card to him Naruto gave a nod.

"Legault, go with Matthew and Leila and scout out if there's a place here. Everyone else, you know your roles. Let's go." Everyone nodded as they moved out, sorting themselves into groups and leaving Eliwood, Ninian, Florina and Fiora to defend the resting boy as the soldier shot off to inform his companions about the orders he had been given.

Within a moment the stationed knights had all moved to the stairs, two either side of the stairs and four on them to prevent anyone from getting past. "Lord Eliwood…" Ninian spoke shyly as Florina and Fiora stood either side of the boy, the red haired man turning to face her.

"Ninian." He replied, letting her know that he had her full attention.

"I…I'd like to thank you."

"Huh?" replied the young Lord, looking a little puzzled. "What is it? Why the formality?"

"Lady Lyn told me…she told me it was you. You were the one who helped me one year ago."

"Oh, that." Eliwood smiled a little when the memory came back to him.

"I apologise. I…I had lost consciousness, and I fear I never properly thanked you, Lord Eliwood." Her face lit up as Eliwood moved to in front of her, a blush slowly making its way across her cheeks.

"Don't let it concern you. I wanted to help." Ninian's blush continued to grow.

"But still-"

"Hmm…ah, I know! Next time you are free, show me your dancing!" her face lit up bright red as she stared at him. "Not one of the little dances…something special."

"A special dance, my lord?" her eyes lit up as Eliwood suddenly realised what he was saying.

"Er…sorry, I didn't mean to sound too forward."

"No, not at all! I mean, I'd be glad to." She smiled a little as her blush receded a little.

"Great, then it's a deal! I'm looking forward to it."

"Y-Yes, I am, too."

As Eliwood was conversing with Ninian Naruto was at the front gate, fighting off various people of most classes. _'They're skilled I'll give them that.' _Naruto thought as he dodged a swing from a fighter and side-stepped a mercenary's downward slash. _'I'm actually enjoying this.' _he thought as he back flipped away from them, landing at the entrance.

"He's mocking us!" cried out one. "Kill him!"

Before they had a chance to attack Naruto placed his hand up in a half-tiger sign and smirked. "Wind release." He called out, the colour in the mercenaries' faces draining. "Great breakthrough." cupping his hands together he launched forward a strong blast of wind that tore into the mercenaries, ripping through their clothes and making several minor wounds upon their bodies that they had no chance to defend against. "That was a warning. Leave now and you won't die."

"Wait!" came a shout from above, Naruto looking up and seeing a wyvern flying down with a green haired rider. "Do you happen to be the hero of Etrutia?" he questioned, Naruto noticing that he had placed his lance away and was holding the reigns of his mount.

"I am." Naruto told him. "What of it?"

The rider seemed taken aback slightly by Naruto's words. "I…I wish to surrender." Naruto looked at the man in surprise. "You have women and children amongst you right? I refuse to lower myself to that level to hurt them."

"I see you have some honour wyvern rider." Naruto spoke to him, a small amount of friendliness in his tone. "If you want to join us you can at least tell me your name."

"I am Heath." He told him. "Do you have any orders?" watching as another Naruto suddenly popped into existence the man looked a little shocked.

"Take Heath to Eliwood and get him to guard Nils." The clone nodded as he beckoned for Heath to follow him, the wyvern rider doing so. "Does anyone else wish to test my skill?" in an instant every person who stood opposed to Naruto had dropped their weapon and had more or less surrendered, surprising him. _'I'll admit I wasn't expecting that.'_ He thought. _'But I'm not complaining.'_

Meanwhile Lyn and her group of six, including Oswin, Dorcas, Bartre, Wil, Erk and finally Priscilla were defending the left side of the fort effectively well. Though the mercenaries had managed to break through a large crack in the wall they were met with powerful resistance as Lyn, Dorcas, Oswin and Bartre tore into them, using their close range weapon skill to pile up the body count while Wil, Erk and Priscilla hung back and launched arrows and spells at their opponents.

"Damn!" cried out Wil as his iron bow broke, suddenly realising that he was defenceless. His cry caught the attention of Erk and Priscilla, who looked at him and noticed his discarded broken bow. "I need to go get a bow."

"Use mine." Came a new voice as a horse rider shot into the fray, the brown bandanna and tribal clothing easily giving him away.

"Rath of the Kutolah!" spoke Lyn as she moved back, letting Oswin, Dorcas and Bartre push through. "Well met! What are you doing here?" she added as the bandanna wearer handed a bow to Wil who looked grateful for the assistance.

"After we parted ways, I travelled around for a while working as a mercenary. I am currently in the employ of house Ostia at Lord Uther's request." He explained. "What about yourself? Drawn into something dangerous I assume?" Lyn had the decency to look abashed at that, Rath letting a small smile come onto his face.

"When aren't we?" spoke a new voice, Lyn turning her head to see Keiko standing there with a grin on her face. "Good to see you again Rath. Well then, shall we work together like we did in Lyndis' legion?" the man gave her a nod as Lyn turned around and saw Oswin, Dorcas and Bartre being pushed back through the gap in the wall. "I suppose I should help out shouldn't I?"

Lyn's alarm bells erupted as Keiko placed up her index and middle fingers together and began to focus her chakra. "Dorcas! Oswin! Bartre! Move!" she half screamed, the trio hearing her voice and throwing themselves out of harm's way just as Keiko grinned.

"Lightning release! Lightning ball!" called out Keiko as electricity surrounded her open hand, condensing itself rapidly into a ball before she tossed it into the room and watched as it exploded, sending lightning all over the place and throwing anyone else that was in the room off guard. "That should give you some help. I'm going to keep Nils covered."

Lyn watched Keiko bound off before turning her attention to Oswin, who was standing guard alongside Dorcas and Bartre. "Her support is always useful, even if she is…" he trailed off, not knowing the best word to choose.

"Bubbly?" finished Lyn, receiving several nods of agreement. "I agree, but Keiko's a good person." Oswin had to nod at that as he knew Keiko was a good person at heart, though her actions from time to time were quite odd. "Anyway we can talk later. We've got a fort to protect." As Lyn turned to face the south entrance her eyes went wide when she saw an enemy paladin charge in, catching her by surprise for a few seconds.

Seeing him wielding a lance Dorcas and Bartre shot in, creating a wall that he could not get past as both warriors swung their axes in unison, the paladin defending one attack with his lance and letting the other collide hard with his shield. As Lyn took a step forward to deal with the leader of the mercenaries, from what she guessed, her pathway was blocked off by two horses and a sage and a sniper, all aiming their weapons at the rider who was fighting off both Dorcas and Bartre with not much luck.

"It's unlikely that they will need our help Lady Lyndis. They are doing fine on their own." Erk pointed out to her as the horses moved out of the way, letting her see the battle that was clearly in the two warriors favour.

Bartre and Dorcas weren't finding the fight against the paladin tough, though they were keeping on their guard in case of a surprise attack. _'Never let your guard down. It only takes one slip-up and you're injured seriously.' _Naruto's words echoed through their heads as they fought the paladin armed with iron axes, the Spear that the rider was using being not so effective against them.

'_How are they so strong?'_ Eubans thought as he attacked the blue warrior only for his weapon to collide with the warriors axe. _'They were nothing more than a ragtag bunch with no strategy two weeks ago!'_ defending a blow from the yellow warrior Eubans tried to counter only to have to block an attack from the blue one with his Spear, watching in horror as his weapon broke and left him defenceless. "I…I've lost…" he admitted as he stopped his horse from moving about.

"It's over." Dorcas told his companion, Bartre nodding with a delighted grin as he rested his axe on his shoulders.

"What are you waiting for?" Eubans questioned. "Finish me!"

"No." came a new voice, Eubans turning to see Naruto walk in from the southern entrance alongside the twenty or so mercenaries that had surrendered. "We are not going to kill you. Instead you are going to take your mercenaries and leave this place."

"You're letting me live?" he questioned in confusion. "Why?"

"You only came after us to avenge your fallen Lord Darin I assume?" Naruto smirked slightly when Eubans gave him a shocked look. "Darin was a madman, intent on bringing the whole of Elibe to war. Could you live with yourself knowing that you were following his rule? If he ordered you to attack a village underneath his own rule and kill them all mercilessly, could you follow his command, knowing how much blood would be on your hands?"

Eubans' shocked expression soon turned to rage. "No I could not." He answered after a moment of silence. "I thank you for lifting the veil over my eyes. I will leave here and rebuild my force and make sure his son does not fall into the same path as his father." he gave a nod as the mercenaries looked to him confused and puzzled. "We are leaving. Sound the retreat horn."

It didn't take long for Eubans to round up what was left of his mercenary force and leave. On the side that Hector was guarding only two or three had managed to escape before they were killed, and several on Lyn's side had chosen wisely to not enter while the twenty or so Naruto had made surrender were more than happy to leave with their dignity intact. The man had spoken with Naruto and the other lords and learned of their plight, to prevent the flames of war from spreading over Elibe, and he agreed that he would do everything he could to assist them without directly being involved with them.

"So brother, you're alive after all." Uther spoke when he arrived with his entourage of two paladins, the three lords plus Naruto and Keiko greeting him. "You were so long gone I feared you dead. Another day and I might have arranged a funeral rite."

"My apologies. Been a little busy." He replied calmly.

"Yes. Leila's report covered much." he looked at Eliwood who was standing next to Hector. "Eliwood. I am sorry about Lord Elbert. I was powerless to help."

"No… nothing could have been done." His expression hardened. "More importantly, do you know of Nergal?"

"Only of what was reported. He appeared a year ago and seized control of black fang. Then he ensnared Laus in a plot of rebellion against Ostia. I can't see what he's after…"

"The dragons that vanished after the scouring… he wants to… bring them back again."

"What!" exclaimed Uther in shock. "Can that be done?"

"Yes. Let me explain." Eliwood launched into an explanation about everything that had happened, leaving nothing out and telling Uther what the madman's plans were. During the explanation Uther was speechless as he listened to what the young lord was telling him, though his mind was racing a mile a minute to figure out the best course of action to counteract this threat.

When they had finished Uther gave them the gesture to leave him for a moment, the group of five returning to where Ninian and Nils were as everyone else was either doing training, in Isadora and Heath's case, or just chilling out. "This has even got my brother brooding. He's always been a firm believer in quick decisions. Yet he wishes for more time… that's never happened before."

"It's gone from a simple rebellion to a threat to the human race." Lyn piped up, who had wrapped herself in Naruto's arms and was enjoying the small massage. "Ahh… we saw it with ooh… our own eyes and yet… mm, it's all so unbelievable…"

"Yet… it's all true." Eliwood concluded.

"Yes. I wonder what will happen next. Ideally, we could bring the whole of our lands together to fight as one. It would be a return to the time of the scouring…" Hector suggested.

"However, this all hinges on the existence of dragons themselves." Eliwood pointed out. "Unless dragons are seen in the skies I doubt anyone will believe us."

"And when the dragons arrive, it'll be too late." Surprisingly, Keiko said this.

"We have to stop all of this now. And we're the only ones who know enough to do it!"

"Right!" Hector told Eliwood as Lyn nodded in agreement, Naruto's hands leaving her shoulders and wrapping around her and Keiko. "There we have it! Come on, let's speak to my brother!"

"Naruto, Keiko, Ninian, will you go with us?" the three nodded before they re-entered the room Uther was in, a grave expression on his face.

"I would sooner not place this burden on your shoulders alone. And yet, I see no other choice before me. Listen my brother, Eliwood, Lyndis and Naruto, are you determined to act on your resolve?"

"Yes, we're prepared." Eliwood told him confidently.

"Me, too… I refuse to sit back and do nothing while others act and I will not wait either." supported Lyn, Uther nodding before turning to face Naruto.

"You know my answer already Uther." Naruto told him simply, the man understanding his words before looking at them all.

"…I see. Then I have no more to say. I will aid you as much as I can. Good luck to you all." his eyes drifted over them before settling on Ninian. "And what of the girl? The one we spoke of earlier?"

"Oh, Ninian." Hector corrected his brother.

"It… it's an honour to meet you, Marquess Ostia…" she told him.

"Both Ninian and her brother, Nils, possess a special power." Hector told him.

"Is that so? Then I would ask you. Do you know where Nergal is at this moment?"

"Yes, I can sense him. To the east… he is… very far."

"East? Is he targeting Bern next?" Lyn asked her, receiving no answer.

"Great." Naruto spoke up in a sarcastic tone, everyone turning to look at him. "Just what we need is for Bern to be breathing down our throats especially with how powerful they are. If Nergal does ensnare it though; we're as good as screwed." Seeing everyone sans for Keiko give him looks of understanding, though Lyn was looking quite surprised that he had spoken differently, he took a deep breath of air.

"There's still time…" Ninian continued. "He is… very weak. We must act now."

"So Nergal can't act right away, is that it? Yet, what can we…" her sentence died in her throat as she looked to Hector, who was developing an idea.

"We've no choice but to depart for Bern."

"If there's time, make your destination west." Uther told his brother, watching as Naruto's eyes widened.

"West! That's the wrong direction!" Hector argued.

"Go to the Nabata desert. You may find aid there." everyone apart from Naruto and Keiko looked at Uther confused. "Go and meet the living legend."

"Living… legend?" Eliwood questioned, looking to Naruto and Keiko who both shrugged in puzzlement.

It took just over an hour for Nils to finally awaken from his slumber, much to Ninian's delight. _'I wonder how everyone is.'_ Naruto thought, wondering how everyone he had met there was getting on, especially the little dragon and the half dragon he had made friends with. _'I wonder how Sophia's studies have been coming along? She was quite dedicated to learning how to help people with her skills in Elder Magic.' _An image surfaced to his mind of the young girl alongside her little sister figure, a full dragon that had latched onto him like glue and refused to budge the first time they met._ 'And especially you Fae, you mischievous little dragon.' _he added with a smile.

Looking down at Keiko, who was in his arms and enjoying the feel of his hand down her trousers, he smiled as Lyn and Florina walked over. "Leaving us out?" Lyn asked, looking slightly hurt until Naruto let go of Keiko and dragged both girls into a four way hug. "Mm… so warm… I could stay here forever…" Naruto heard her mutter as she pressed herself against him alongside the other two.

"Naruto." Eliwood said as he walked over, the girls turning around and staying in his embrace as Florina's horse Huey walked over. "We're ready to leave."

Nodding in understanding Naruto slipped a hand around Lyn and Florina and scooped them up, placing Lyn on his left shoulder and Florina on his right and sitting one hand on their laps to keep them balanced. "I'm ready whenever you are." Naruto replied with a grin, Eliwood nodding and the small army starting to move towards their next destination.

(A/N: I am truly sorry for making you all wait for the next chapter of this story. Events came up all throughout the past four months, and I had to rewrite this twice because I didn't like how it turned out. This story would've been done by early January had my computer's graphics card not died.)

Review Corner:

Sh8ad8ow: sorry it's late, but here it is.

EXpertUS: Jaffar will make an appearance eventually, and yes he will fight Naruto for snatching the person he tried to kill.

Kyoshiro: Thank you and thank you.

frytrix and Dias Of All Final: nope, Ninian will not be the third and final member to share Naruto. She will be paired with Eliwood.

(Final A/N: would you all like to see a bit of differentiation, such as the group actually visiting Arcadia or one or two extra members joining their group? Leave me a review if you think I should keep it original, or change a few things to make it different. Either way Read and Review!)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

The harsh sands of the Nabata Desert and the hot sun did its job of slowing down the group as they moved across the scorching sands, heading towards their destination that Naruto was leading them to. No-one spoke as they followed Naruto, their water supplies having been restocked courtesy of the sun kissed blond, as he walked at the front of the group.

"Bah! I've got sand in my boots!" Hector grumbled angrily as he stood still and took them off, emptying out the sand, much to Naruto's amusement. As the big man put them back on Nils came up to him, looking exhausted and extremely hot from the weather. "What's wrong kid?"

"So… hot…" He spoke with a dry throat, looking quite sweaty and exhausted from the heat.

"You're hot kid?" he questioned, seeing the boy nod absentmindedly. _'This weather is kind of bad for him.'_ Hector thought, seeing the kid look dead on his feet. _'And he's probably not used to the travelling either.'_ He added before walking over to him. "Come here kid, I'm going to carry you for a bit."

"Wha!? Ahh!" cried Nils as Hector lifted him up and placed him on his shoulders, the young bard looking shocked. "I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!" he cried as Hector laughed, Naruto and Keiko looking over to the man and sharing a laugh as well.

"It's good to see everyone getting on with each other." Naruto told Keiko, who nodded in agreement. For the past hour that they had been travelling in the desert, Naruto had made sure to get everyone introduced to each other, so they could tell who was on their side and who was not and didn't end up hurting one-another by accident. "Now that everyone knows each other, we've got less chance of falling apart on the battlefield and getting swamped."

"Yeah." agreed Keiko. "We can't be learning who our allies are in the middle of a heated fight." Naruto could only nod as he turned and looked at Eliwood and Ninian, who were walking a short distance from them.

'_Those two are really becoming close.'_ Naruto thought as he looked at them._ 'Ninian may be shy but Eliwood is slowly helping her to break out of that shell.' _He thought as he turned around and saw Florina walking alongside her sister, smiling and chatting to her happily. _'And I'm happy with three girls for now.' _he added as Florina looked at him and smiled, Naruto returning the smile.

"Naruto?" spoke up Lyn as she walked up to him. "Won't this be your second time visiting the living legend?" Naruto's response was to smile and nod, prompting her to continue. "What's he like?"

"The living legend is extremely knowledgeable about most things that go on in the world. It wouldn't surprise me if he sent the guardian of the desert out to come and meet us in person." The blond explained. "And there is a reason why he lives all the way out here, so he doesn't get disturbed much."

"That makes sense." spoke Canas. "One with knowledge that he has should not be disturbed." He added as he stopped next to them. "Naruto, word about has given me the picture that there are many artefacts hidden in the dunes here. Maybe we can find them."

'_Not likely with the month we spent using my sand manipulation to unearth nearly all of them.'_ Naruto thought as he looked at Keiko, both of them sharing a smile. _'We also need to make sure we avoid those ruins unless we end up getting pulled down by them.'_ Naruto added as he looked over at Nils, who was now sitting on Hector's shoulders.

"Artefacts?" asked Lyn, a curious look on her face. "There are artefacts here?" Naruto nodded as the rest of the group caught up, several of the group looking extremely hot and tired. "Do you think we'll find any?"

"We might do, we might not." Keiko added as she looked back to the group. "They're exhausted already? Oh come on!" her words earned her a slap on the bum, which she squeaked to and pounced on Naruto, trying to tackle him to the floor. "Aw…" she pouted as she simply settled for wrapping around him, not that Naruto didn't mind.

A short distance away, Ninian had a slight blush as she spoke with Eliwood before sensing that something was wrong. "Naruto!" she cried out, the man looking to her. "I sense trouble up ahead!" she told him, the blond looking ahead and nodded.

"Battle positions!" shouted Naruto, the group going from tired to full battle ready in moments before everyone moved in three formations in a triangle shape. "Good. Proceed cautiously." The group nodded and continued moving, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of fighting. _'Ninian is usually never wrong about this. But where…?'_ he thought as he looked around.

A flash of lightning in the distance caught their attention as Naruto realised there was only one person who would use magic all the way out here. "Naruto!" spoke Keiko as Naruto tore forward, breaking rank from the group and running ahead. "Damn it. Eliwood, follow him!" She told the red head before tearing off after her brother, Eliwood nodding as the group started following as fast as they could go.

Pent was already in trouble as he dodged a thunder from a mage and retaliated with his Elfire tome, several bandits around all preparing to attack him with their weapons, magic spells and arrows. _'As much as fighting goes this is a bit excessive.'_ He thought, hoping if there was someone that could help, not that he really needed it. _'Hmm… my books are looking a little tattered.' _He added as he dodged the swing of a sword aimed for his side.

"Wind release! Great Breakthrough!" came a familiar voice that slammed into a large number of bandits and sent them flying, Pent looking quite surprised as Naruto appeared next to him. "Sorry I'm late." He told him with a foxy grin, Pent smiling in response.

"It is good to see you are well Naruto. However this isn't the time for pleasantries, as we still have a bandit army to take care of." He told him, Naruto nodding as a strong blast of flames from the small hill above them caught the archers and mages there, causing them to scream in pain as Keiko jumped down. "And it is good to see you are well Keiko."

Keiko nodded before looking to Naruto. "Naruto, let's get out of this pit." Naruto nodded as Keiko placed her hand on his shoulder, Naruto in turn placing his hand on Pent's shoulder and the trio vanishing in a puff of smoke. "Pent, what of Hawkeye? Shouldn't he be here?" the man shook his head.

"Hawkeye is guarding his daughter, Fae and Sophia at his house." Pent told Naruto, who nodded in understanding. "However he will fight if he sees you, as he trusts you to look after them. I suggest you and Keiko go see him." Naruto gave a nod as he looked at the group, who had just caught up and looking ready to fight.

"Magic users and fliers will excel in this desert, while horseback riders will barely go anywhere. Pent, you stick with Erk, Canas, Florina, Lucius and Raven and take the upper route around. Priscilla, you'll go with Heath, Serra, Guy, Matthew, Legault, Leila and Fiora and head around the southern part. Everyone else will stay back and be prepared to support if possible ok?" The group nodded though Isadora didn't look too convinced. "I'm going to get us a bit of help, hopefully." Eliwood looked a little surprised but nodded in understanding.

As the groups headed off in their own direction and Naruto and Keiko leaving to go get some assistance, Eliwood stood alongside Ninian and Hector, who knew that this was a fight that they couldn't join in with. "Bah, I hate not being able to fight in the sand." Hector admitted as he held his axe. "And as much as I hate this useless feeling, I know that I'll only be a hindrance."

"Mm. I'm glad Naruto took the time to train us all should we run into a situation like this, but for now I know that trying to assist would be useless." Eliwood admitted as Ninian looked to him, her keen senses of detecting danger active in the off chance there was a surprise attack. "We can only pray for their safety and have faith that they will win."

"They… they will win." Ninian told them both. "Naruto trained them… and he won't let… anything happen to them."

With Naruto and Keiko

Both Naruto and Keiko smiled as they arrived at Hawkeye's house, the giant door not looking very welcoming. Knocking on the door three times, as per a code that they had chosen on when they last spoke, Naruto and his sister waited patiently for the door to unlock. Hearing it unlock and watching the door open, both of them was greeted by a giant of a man, easily Naruto's height but with more muscle, who was smiling slightly at seeing them. "Good to see you both." He told them.

"It is good to see you too Hawkeye." replied Naruto as the man let them in, seeing the small wooden home and smiling. "I take it you know why we're here?"

"Yes. You are with Eliwood's group to meet the Archsage." Naruto nodded in agreement. "I would have been with Pent to meet you but Fae forewarned me of bandits, therefore I had to get them to safety."

Hawkeye had been one of the very few people Naruto had trained hard in moving unhindered through the desert. As such, Hawkeye was able to move just as fast, or even faster in some cases, than most of the magic users that would sometimes train or pass through the sands. Due to Hawkeye's training with Naruto he had also mastered the use of almost every type of axe, the only exception being the Tomahawk as they broke too easy for him, and the Dragon Axe as he had only managed to use one before it broke.

Before Naruto could ask Hawkeye any questions there were three simultaneous shouts of his name and he was promptly tackled by three missiles, one with pink hair, one with purple hair and the last with blonde hair. "It's good to see you girls again." The immortal told them with a smile as they looked up at him happily. "Fae, Sophia and Igrene." He added as he looked down at them with a foxy grin.

Fae beamed delightedly as her wings spread out behind her and she flew up, sitting on Naruto's shoulder happily. Despite being a young girl physically her actual age was many centuries old, and had been born in Arcadia a few centuries after Athos had first discovered it. Surprisingly, she had extremely quickly warmed up to Naruto and Keiko and had come to see them as older siblings, more often than not being seen with them when the two weren't studying with Athos.

Ever since Naruto and Keiko had arrived in Arcadia they had studied and helped everyone with their problems, Sophia being one such person. Initially she was extremely shy around them both, frequently going silent mid-sentence and sometimes blushing, though it was over a few months that she developed a sense of self-confidence and had become a much warmer person thanks to both Naruto and Keiko. Eventually from her confidence she began to speak with other people, making very good friends with both Pent and Hawkeye, the latter deciding to introduce his daughter Igrene to her.

Igrene, despite only being nine years old, was following in her father's footsteps well of becoming a guardian of the desert. When she had first met Naruto and Keiko she was initially wary of them, but after some reassurance from her father she had apologised to them and became one of their friends, much to the then eight year olds delight. Her biggest delight was when her father decided to teach her how to fight with weapons, though much to Hawkeye's surprise she had chosen to go with the bow, taking up the sword as a back-up weapon just in case on Naruto's request.

Igrene and Sophia let go of Naruto after a moment, though Fae continued to sit on his shoulder and cling to his sun kissed golden hair with a delighted smile on her face. "I know why you're here, to ask me for my assistance. I'll fight but I want you to keep the girls safe." Naruto nodded to Hawkeye's words as he heaved his killer axe, placing it on his shoulder. "Let's go." Naruto nodded as Igrene grabbed her bow and Sophia held her tome of flux, which she had gotten used to the weight of with thanks from Naruto, and followed the muscular man out with Naruto and Keiko following.

"Hawkeye, Pent has a group going around the upper path while there's another group that could do with some support on the lower path." Hawkeye nodded and took off, the axe over his shoulder doing almost nothing to hinder his path as Naruto nodded to Keiko. "Girls, stay with me, we're going to go see Eliwood and everyone." The girls nodded and followed Naruto towards where Eliwood and company were.

With group two

Legault smirked as his dagger sunk into the neck of an archer and dodged the thunder strike launched from a nearby mage, Fiora spinning her lance around and slamming it into the mage and killing him instantly. _'Now then, is there anything that they would have?'_ the thief thought as he searched the archer's pockets, finding a small pouch of money that Legault pocketed. Just as he was about to stand up however a brute of a man grabbed him and moved him out of the way, just in time as a powerful ball of Elfire slammed into where he just was.

"You are lucky I was here." The man told him, Legault looking up at him and looking quite shocked. "Naruto told me you needed help." Legault could only nod as the man let him go and tore into a mage, who was easily dispatched and crumpled and letting the group circle around him. "Naruto has sent me to support you all. We will move together in these sands and keep an eye out for each other." Everyone present nodded to the man's words. "And you may call me Hawkeye."

"Thanks for your assistance." Legault told Hawkeye as they all started moving, keeping themselves alert in case of any enemy attacks. Hawkeye simply nodded as Legault disappeared alongside Matthew and Leila, keeping their eyes peeled and alert in the off chance they located anyone who was an enemy. "So Matthew, what else did Naruto teach you during your time training with him?"

"He taught me a lot." Matthew stated in a confident tone, one that was a good bit different than his usual cheery tone. "Naruto has asked me not to tell anyone about our training unless you go through it yourself." Legault nodded in understanding, choosing to file away that information for later, and let the matter drop for now.

"There." Hawkeye spoke suddenly as he pointed with his axe, seeing an armoured fighter approaching him armed with a killer axe. "Leave him to me." with a battle cry Hawkeye spun his axe and tore forward, the warrior seeing his opponent and charging towards Hawkeye, their axes colliding with a grinding sound.

Everyone could only watch in awe as the warrior and Hawkeye went toe to toe with each other, neither of them getting the upper hand on each other as their axes continues to grind and collide against each others with tremendous force. Heath and Fiora circled around overhead and watched the battle rage, keeping their eyes peeled for any enemy attack that would try a sneak attack. _'There aren't any bandits about.'_ Fiora thought, looking around. _'I must stay focused.' _She added as she looked around, seeing another battle taking place with the first group.

Hawkeye growled as he backed off. "This is it." He told himself, spinning his axe and in one harsh swing, slammed it straight into the bandit's body, smashing through his armour, his axe and cutting him in two in one hit. "It is over." he added as the warrior fell in half, not even a look of shock over his face as he died. Spinning his axe around he realised he had a few cuts as Priscilla ran forward on her mount, activating her heal staff and recovering the wounds he had. "My thanks madam." he spoke to her slightly warmly as the rest of the group moved to his side. "We will reunite with group one and return to the young lord's side."

"That's a good plan." Fiora told herself quietly as they all started moving northwards, her mind already full of thoughts. Keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of bandits Fiora's thoughts were full of how far her sister had come._ 'She has certainly surpassed me in skill. Have… have I really fallen that far behind?' _Fiora thought doubtingly, slightly confused and feeling a little down. _'I need to speak with Naruto and Florina; they will know what to say.' _She convinced herself.

"Hawkeye!" spoke Pent as the two groups met up with each other. "It's good to see Naruto got you out of your house!" he joked, Hawkeye smiling small in response. "All joking aside though, it looks as though things have been cleared up."

"Hold on." Hawkeye added suddenly, surprising the Mage general. "Thieves, go and loot what you can from the corpses." Matthew, Legault and Leila all nodded and disappeared, leaving the group to pickpocket the bodies. "Let us go back." the large group nodded and began walking back through the dunes, Raven looking a little unhappy that he didn't get a chance to fight.

"Don't worry Lord Raven." Lucius said gently, the red head slightly nodding in agreement.

As the group returned to Eliwood's side they saw Naruto talking with Eliwood and Hector with a pink haired girl sitting on his shoulders, who was busy playing with his hair and ignoring what they were talking about. "Big brother!" the girl spoke, poking Naruto to get his attention. "We have a group coming!"

"I know Fae." Naruto smiled as he turned to face them, Igrene and Sophia looking at the group curiously as both Pent and Hawkeye walked forward. "Everything taken care of?" both Hawkeye and Pent nodded once, Fae looking delighted as she rubbed Naruto's hair.

"Thanks for your assistance." Pent told Eliwood as the group reunited, the knights helping to pack the tent away. "I would have been in a spot of bother otherwise."

"It's no problem. We were glad to help." Lyn chimed in, moving to Naruto's side alongside Florina and the two girls giving him a hug. "We're here to meet the living legend. Do you know of him?"

"The living legend? Haha! That's a good one." the sage replied as Matthew, Legault and Leila returned, carrying various items that the dead bandits would have no use for in the afterlife.

"You know of him?" Hector added as the thieves handed the items and money to Merlinus, who started to complain that he had too much stuff already.

"He does." Naruto told them, Pent smiling. "Pent here is the Mage general of Etrutia and also one of the few people who has studied under him personally." Naruto took a moment to admire the surprised and shocked glances his study partner received. "You wouldn't be out here alone if you weren't searching for something. Did you find what you wanted?"

"Yeah. I was on my way back when the bandits attacked. Thanks." Pent smiled as Naruto waved it off. "If you're going to meet the living legend we should get moving. Desert nights are dangerous." Naruto nodded as he watched the tent get packed up, only just having enough room to hold all of the excess gear that they had.

'_We're going to need to sell all our excess gear when we get back to civilisation.' _He thought as they started moving together, keeping in a close knit group to ensure that they weren't attacked again. "So Fae, have you been behaving yourself while I've been away?" he asked the pink haired girl, who was hugging his hair delightedly.

"Yeah!" she cheered happily. "I've been behaving myself!" she beamed down at Naruto who smiled back up at her, Lyn and Florina seeing how close they were and smiling at their interaction. "I've missed you."

"So have I little sister." Fae squealed in excitement and hugged his hair tightly as Lyn and Florina moved close to him, walking either side of him. "Fae is like a little sister to me girls." they both smiled and wrapped an arm around him, Naruto doing the same to them as Keiko walked alongside Pent, the two engrossed in conversation.

Not even half an hour later the group began to approach the place where the Archsage resided. "We'll be there short-" Naruto was cut off when the sands shifted around him and swallowed him up alongside Lyn and Florina, Fae going with them much to the shock of the others.

"Naruto!?" shouted Eliwood as the sands began to pull people under, cries of people's names and shouts shattering the silence around them. "What!?" cried Eliwood as he was pulled under the sands, darkness engulfing his vision and he lost consciousness.

"Eliwood." spoke a voice as a blast of cool water hit his face, the red head opening his eyes to see Hawkeye standing over him. "Good, you're awake."

"You're the man from before..." Eliwood said, still confused. "Hawkeye right?" the brute nodded, remaining quiet. "What is this place?"

"I don't know." he replied after a moment.

"You don't know?" a voice came from nearby, Eliwood turning to see Pent standing there with Nils.

"Ah Lord Eliwood! I'm so glad I found you." Nils cried out, getting the older redhead's attention.

"Nils! Is everyone all right?"

"Yes, they're nearby. I can't see them, but... I can sense them, so they must be ok." Eliwood gave a nod to Nils' words. "Do you know where we are? I wonder how we get out of here..."

"I'd like to know too." spoke up Pent. "Something strange is here; I can feel it in the air." Eliwood nodded in response as he felt irritation come over him. Just as Nils was about to say something there was a sudden flash of light as everyone appeared, Naruto and Keiko slumping against the wall.

"Naruto! Keiko!" Eliwood spoke as Lyn and Florina immediately tended to them. "Could this be when our magic failed us?" he questioned as he looked to Naruto and Keiko.

"Pent, doesn't that sound like..." trailed off Hawkeye.

"A magic seal." finished Pent, receiving confused looks from those who heard him. "I'm not entirely sure how to explain it. It's... someone whose very presence nullifies all magic." Seeing Eliwood's questionable glance he added. "I don't have any idea as to why it's here, all I know is we're being watched."

"We encountered this... on Valor." breathed Naruto as he stood up with Keiko, the two avatars breathing calmly even though they looked slightly pale. "It's in the centre somewhere... and we need to finish this as... quickly as possible." he added as Lyn and Florina helped them both to stand.

"It'd be best if I take the magic users and stay back, that way we don't risk anything." Hector and Lyn shared a nod to Pent's words as Eliwood began formulating a plan. "Everyone else should split into two teams and go separate ways so we can get out of here. Fae, Igrene, you two stay with us, it'll be dangerous if you go out there." Igrene looked ready to protest but went silent, knowing just how dangerous and risky things could get.

"Hector." Eliwood called to him a moment later. "You take everyone who fights on foot and I'll take those on horseback." The blue haired man nodded as he hefted his axe, ready for a fight. "Legault, you come with me and Matthew and Leila will go with Hector." the three thieves appeared and all gave silent yet polite bows before splitting up. "I'll head southwards."

"Then I'm heading west." the groups got into position as Naruto and Keiko stuck back with Pent and the others, Lyn and Florina opting to stay behind as well to help them. "Everyone ready?" called out Hector as there was a sudden small quake and a wall appeared, separating the two groups.

"Hector!" Eliwood called out, looking a little worried.

"Calm down." walking up to the wall Naruto placed his hand on the wall and closed his eyes, standing there a moment before moving his hand back and making a fist, punching the wall with his chakra enhanced strength and breaking a decent sized hole in it. "Hector, are you all alright?"

"We're fine, just a little surprised at the wall. We're about to move out." Naruto nodded and looked to Eliwood, nodding once.

"Both teams... go!"

Dorcas and Bartre took the lead with Hector's squad, arming an iron axe each that had some use but not much followed by Wil, Rebecca, Matthew and Leila. Backing them was Raven and Guy for support while Oswin and Dart brought up the rear alongside Hawkeye and Hector. Breaking down the first wall they ran into a druid who immediately launched his tome of Luna at Bartre, who dodged just in time as Wil and Rebecca launched an arrow at him each, piercing his clothing and hurting him. The two axe warriors shared a nod and charged, a twin strike by them both dispatching the druid as he crumpled to the floor.

As Leila entered the room with Matthew she shot to the door and unlocked it, moving in with Matthew to take care of the sage that was caught in the magic seal and was powerless to fight back. Both thieves moved quickly and with a good few strikes from Matthew's steel sword and Leila's silver sword, the sage fell to the ground. Seconds later there was a breaking of the wall behind them and they turned around to see Guy and Raven engaging a bishop, two rapidly quick slashes from Guy's iron sword and Raven's iron sword eliminating him before he could launch off his tome of shine.

"Got it." said Guy as he bent down and picked up a door key, nodding to Raven as they moved back into formation. "Here!" He added as he handed it to Leila, who gave a nod and a smile. "Which direction should we go?"

"One way would lead back to Eliwood's group while the other could let us go forward." Raven told them, keeping his eyes away from Hector.

"Split up then?" chimed in Matthew in a cheery tone as everyone piled into the room. "Guy, Dorcas and Bartre could head that way with me and Leila while the rest go that way." He indicated to the broken wall to his right first then the wall to his left.

"Let's do it." Hector gave a nod to Hawkeye's words as the brute swung his axe at the wall and slammed into it, breaking it down in one blow as a bishop stood there, his tome of divine being useless under the effect of the magic seal. "Dart, you can take him."

"I got this!" thanks to receiving some axe tips from Dorcas and Bartre, the pirate grinned as he ran in with both iron axes and swung them with good skill, hitting the bishop hard and dealing some damage to him that was followed up with Rebecca launching an arrow from her iron bow, striking him dead centre in the forehead and killing him immediately. "Hah! No match for us!" announced the pirate as the bishop's body faded to dust.

Hector gave a nod to Dart as the wall behind him broke down, revealing a druid that engaged Guy, the swordsman having shot in front of Dart, in combat almost immediately. "Got to dodge this." the swordmaster told himself as the Druid launched his tome of Luna at him, missing him and leaving himself open that Guy took advantage of, vanishing as four illusions of himself appeared and they all struck at different points. "Now!" he told himself as he sliced with perfect accuracy, his blade slicing through him and finishing the Druid off. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"Guy, focus." Wil told him as he entered the room, holding his iron bow with Matthew and Leila following. "Don't let your guard down!" Seeing a general approach them all Wil strung an arrow and shot at him, hitting him in one of his less defended parts as Guy shot towards him and swung at him, slashing across his stomach. "Look out!" Guy reacted too late as the general swung his steel lance, slashing across Guy's arm and leaving a deep gash in it.

"Damn it!" Guy muttered as he dropped to one knee, the spear slash having cut him pretty deep despite his decent physical defence to weapons. Just as the general was about to launch another attack Guy was saved by the arrow shots from Dorcas, Bartre and Wil who hit him in the general's chest, neck and head and finished him, causing the heavily armoured knight to crumple and fade. "Thank you." standing up carefully he realized the wound was quite serious and there was blood flowing.

"Pull back, we can't risk any more casualties." nodding to Dorcas' words he was thankful he had a set of vulnerary on him and took one, drinking it to heal up some of the damage caused. Slicing off part of his sleeve he wrapped it around his arm in a makeshift bandage, mentally thanking Naruto for teaching him such a skill, and watched as Matthew unlocked the door and Dorcas along with Bartre entered. Both were greeted by a Druid that was eliminated quickly thanks to a spinning strike from Bartre, though Guy was puzzled how he managed to spin on the spot for a good second and slam it into him directly without feeling the least bit dizzy.

_'Probably a warrior thing.'_ came through his mind as he turned back, seeing Raven waiting there patiently. "There's nothing else this way."

"Good to know." replied the crimson haired swordsman as he turned around and took off the way they came, Guy watching as he ran along the other opened route that Hawkeye was guarding. "I'm coming through." he told him as he slipped past Hawkeye, who merely gave him a nod and watched as he took off.

Eliwood's group had encountered very little difficulty in dealing with the foes. After moving south Legault had unlocked the door and backed off as a General, who had attempted to attack them head on, came through only to be taken out with ease thanks to Marcus and Isadora's teamwork. Breaking down the wall Eliwood saw a druid and gave the signal to Fiora and Heath, who tore into the room and with good skill and precision took him down quickly, the wyvern rider finding a door key upon his robes that he picked up and kept.

Opening the second door Legault was smacked hard with a blast of Shine from a bishop, and his injured and disorientated state was saved when Rath and Lowen charged in, the latter grabbing the thief and getting him to safety as two shots from Rath's short bow took care of him. Being healed up thanks to Priscilla he rejoined up with the group as they continued moving, breaking through the damaged wall and revealing a sage inside that Fiora and Heath had teamed up on, the Pegasus Knight mentally grateful she had prepared herself, and was able to evade the surprise attack by the general although her retaliation snapped her lance much to her disappointment. Backing off she was surprised when Eliwood himself took the fight into his own hands and watched in total awe as the crimson haired swordsman utterly devastate the general in two strikes, ending him with minimal effort.

Pulling back to get herself a new weapon the group pressed onwards, Legault breaking down a wall and seeing a chest inside that he picked the lock of, taking out a berserk staff from within. Turning and seeing Marcus and Isadora break down the wall another general stood in their way, the two experienced paladins teaming up once again to take the armoured general down with no trouble whatsoever. "Good work Marcus and Isadora." Eliwood told them as he entered the room, looking to the wall that had a decent amount of damage in. "Lowen, this is all you."

"Yes Milord!" the golden armoured cavalier shot forward, arming his steel lance, and smashed it against the dented wall, dealing a decent bit of damage to the wall that he followed up with another strike, breaking it down just enough for them to pass through it with ease. In front of them stood a sage, and Lowen knew he wasn't going to be able to take him alone. Before he could react however a redheaded swordsman shot past him and engaged the sage in battle, Lowen immediately shooting in to provide the backup necessary to give him a helping hand. "Raven, aren't you with the other group?"

"We've cleared up the route." the redhead told him coolly as he dodged a blast of Elfire, suddenly jumping away as a blast of Shine almost hit him. "Only a chest that contained a silver blade." he added as he dodged another blast of Elfire, Lowen retaliating and using his improved skill, stabbed the sage in his shoulder and moved his mount out of the way as Fiora and Heath flew in, their lances both double hitting the sage quickly and eliminating him before he could react in time. "Time to finish this." tossing his iron sword into the air Raven jumped high and descended in a spinning motion, slashing powerfully through his clothing and finishing the sage off.

The bishop saw an opportunity and was about to launch his Shine tome at Raven only to be taken out when Heath's javelin struck him head on, piercing through his chest and finishing him in one strike. "Couldn't let an ally be hurt." the green haired wyvern rider told the mercenary, who let a light smirk flicker over his face as the rest of the group entered the room, Eliwood moving up with Marcus and Isadora immediately. "Let's move." flying over on his mount Heath picked up his javelin and the group followed their red haired lord as Marcus and Isadora smashed down the wall, revealing a sniper.

"Leave him to me." the normally quiet Nomad spoke as he engaged in battle with him, using his speed to fire off his arrow first and dodging the retaliation. Being careful not to move near the door in case it opened, Rath switched his short bow for the steel bow he had been given and fired off a stronger shot, hitting the sniper in the stomach. "Time to finish this." spinning the next arrow around Rath launched it expertly between the sniper's eyes, hitting him dead centre and finishing him off.

Eliwood smiled some as he entered the room. "Well done Rath." the red head told the nomad, who gave a nod in response. "Legault the door is all yours, but be careful as I think we're close." the thief nodded and moved to the chest first, unlocking it and taking out a secret book that he placed in his pocket and proceeded to open the door, unlocking it as the air suddenly cleared up from the distorted state it was in, letting them breathe easily. "It's gone? That's-Legault look out!" the thief jumped away as a swordmaster, a hero, a general and another sniper entered the room and engaged them in battle.

Sain and Kent took the hero and the swordmaster respectively while Eliwood was dealing with the general and dodging the shots from the sniper, Rath returning fire from his battered longbow at the general and sniper to give Eliwood the support he needed. It didn't take long for the four of them to get the upper hand and overpower them and finish them off, although Sain and Kent both had their weapons of choice, a steel sword and an iron lance respectively, break on them.

"Good work team." Eliwood told them all. "Marcus, Isadora, check the room." the two paladins moved swiftly on their lord's orders and entered, the two immediately facing a mercenary, an archer, a knight and a fighter armed with silver weapons. Despite having inferior weapons the two paladins more than made up for it with skill and with four strikes from their iron lances and dodging an arrow shot from the archer, the four fell to the ground and faded away.

"All taken care of Milord." said Marcus to Eliwood a moment later as the two paladins walked out, the red haired lord smiling slightly at his words. "Let us head back. I am sure Naruto and Hector's group are waiting for us." Eliwood's response was to nod as they began pulling back the way they came, everyone eventually returning to the starting point where everyone else was waiting for them.

"The air... it's returned to normal!" Pent exclaimed in surprise. "The magic seal has fled."

"I don't get this at all." spoke up Hector, looking a little puzzled. "What is that thing? It certainly doesn't look human, but..." he looked to Pent, expecting an answer.

"In this world, there are many mysterious things that fall beyond our realm of understanding." replied the sage, Naruto nodding once out of the corner of his eye. "Come, let us leave this place. A living legend awaits us."

As everyone started to leave Ninian paused, looking around. "Daughter of..." spoke a voice from behind her, Naruto hearing Hawkeye's words and looking over his shoulder, seeing Ninian turning to face him.

"Hm?" she said, confused.

"Be strong..." he added after a few seconds of silence before walking past her, Ninian's eyes widening in understanding before she resumed walking silently, catching up with the others.

It took no longer than another hour for the group to finally arrive at the residence where the Living Legend was awaiting them, being a large stone hall that provided them with shelter from the evening sun. "I've brought them." Hawkeye spoke to an old man as Hector, Lyn, Eliwood, Naruto and Keiko stood in front of them.

Moving to the side Naruto watched as the Archsage Athos, the legendary man he had stayed with for an entire nine months before returning to Caelin, walked forward. "Welcome, children of Roland." he spoke in a grandfatherly tone, one that held power within it.

"We've come from Lycia, old man. Do you understand?" Hector spoke immediately, Naruto shaking his head as he looked down.

"What do you mean?" asked Lyn, slightly confused.

"I think I know." Eliwood told them, drawing their attention. "Thousands of years ago, man and dragon fought on this continent."

"Yes, mankind won, and the dragons fled this world." Lyn chimed in.

"That's correct. Man against dragon... the war we all know as the scouring. And you know of the Eight Legends, the heroes who led man to victory?"

"Yes, we've all heard the stories of the Eight Legends. I was raised in Sacae, so I know of Hanon, the horseman."

"Sacae is where Hanon was born." Hector added. "Our country, Lycia, was founded by the Hero Roland."

"Then..." Lyn spoke, turning to face Athos. "That's why you called us "Children of Roland", right?"

"That is correct, daughter of Hanon and Roland."

"Who are you?" Eliwood asked as all eyes were drawn to him.

"I am Athos." Athos replied simply. "Many simply choose to call me Archsage."

"Athos?!" repeated Eliwood in shock. "It can't be..."

"Huh? What?!" came Lyn's response, just as shocked as the others.

"Archsage Athos was one of the Eight Legends." explained Hector as Naruto could only smile, Keiko standing next to him with a smile on her face. "If you really were him, old man... you'd have to be over a thousand years old."

"The world is full of mysteries. Solve one, and along comes another... before I knew it, I'd grown distant from my fellow man. Hunger... it knows no bounds."

"A thousand years..." Lyn repeated as she looked to Naruto. "That's a long time." she looked back to Athos and missed the brief second of sadness in Naruto's eyes.

"Yet, thanks to such longevity, we're meeting here today."

"Living Legend... now I see it." Hector muttered to himself.

"You're here because you want to stop Nergal, aren't you?" Athos asked, his grandfatherly tone becoming slightly stern.

"Yes. Did you receive word from Marquess Ostia?"

"No... I am aware of most things that occur on the continent. However, knowledge is not enough for me to prevent disaster."

"Nils said something similar to that before. With my special power, I can sense danger coming, but I can't do anything to stop it." Lyn recited, Athos looking a little thoughtful.

"Nils... one of the children of destiny."

"He's here with us, but something outside caught his attention."

"I'm sure something stopped him..." Athos muttered to himself, though Eliwood heard him. "Let us talk about Nergal. How do we stop him?"

"Yes, what can you tell us? What wisdom can you share?"

"Mm. Your foe is, like me, no longer... altogether human. It will be difficult to slay him through traditional means." looking to Naruto the avatar gave Athos a lone nod of understanding. "He wields a terrible power. His endless strength stems from an ancient, forbidden magic... to defeat him, you will need a suitable response."

"Response?" asked Eliwood.

"While he is resting... you must find the power to oppose him."

"Tell us what it is! We'll do anything!" Eliwood said, slightly surprising Naruto and Keiko.

"It will be harder than you imagine. Great trials await you, as does great despair. You may regret your decision. Will you stay the course, children?"

"Our will remains fixed." the red headed lord stated in a firm tone, receiving a nod from Hector and Lyn.

"This is a road from which you cannot turn back."

"We've known that all along!" chimed in Hector.

"We can overcome anything, you'll see." supported Lyn. "Together, we are strong."

"Very well, let me tell you what you must do." Naruto and Keiko listened in on the plan that Athos laid out for them. Despite it sounding simple it was far from it, and was quite tough if they weren't prepared. The plan was to go to Bern and seek out the Shrine of Seals, and from there Athos could do what was needed to acquire the support Eliwood and his company required.

"Have you understood all that you have heard?"

"Yes. We are to seek out the shrine of seals in Bern, right?" summarised Eliwood, who received a small nod in return.

"Take Hawkeye with you. Add his skills to your own." the berserker, standing off to the side with Sophia, Igrene and Fae, nodded once to Eliwood.

"Thank you." Eliwood replied courteously as Pent and Louise stood nearby, having heard the whole conversation.

"And you?" the Archsage turned to address them. "What will you do Pent and Louise?"

"Nergal, a magic user who rivals even you, Lord Athos... and the return of the dragons, an intriguing story." spoke Pent for the first time. "Forgive the late introductions. I am Pent, Count Reglay of Etruria. This is Louise, my wife."

"It's nice to meet you." she added, smiling serenely.

"Count Reglay? You are Count Reglay?" Eliwood replied in disbelief.

"Who? Is he someone special?" Lyn asked, confused.

"Yes he is." Naruto spoke up for the first time since arriving, walking forward with Keiko. "He hails from the most prominent noble house of Etruria. He's also known as the magic general." he nodded to Pent, who nodded back. "What brings you here? I thought you'd have been dealing with various issues in Etruria."

"Bern's successor will have his coming-of-age ceremony. Pent and Louise are to attend as representatives of Etruria. Pent claimed there was time to search for a magic artefact said to have been lost in the sands here long ago. You arrived shortly after I did. Perhaps something was guiding you." explained Athos, Naruto giving a nod of understanding as Keiko looked at her love with a curious expression.

"Bowing to the dictates of fate, my wife and I would like to join you if we may." Pent offered.

"Well, of course. That's fine, right, Eliwood? Will you send word of your mission to your countrymen?" Lyn spoke for Eliwood before asking them.

"There's no reason to, and if we did, who would believe us? Besides, it's not unusual for us to remain absent for long periods. I doubt anyone will be surprised by our absence. Right, my dear?"

Louise responded with a light giggle. "Of course, my love."

"Not unlike a certain young noble we've heard of..." Eliwood said quietly although Hector heard him.

"That's great! Thanks a lot!"

"In any event, we welcome you both with all our hearts."

"Thank you."

"There isn't much time." Athos cut in, ending the conversation between them. "I'll send you to Lycia. Hawkeye!" the brute nodded to his master's call. "Gather everyone here in the plaza."

As Hawkeye walked off Naruto and Keiko walked over to Athos. "Naruto, Keiko. Fate blew a strange wind upon this world when you arrived. Much has already changed from your appearance and actions alone. Some for the better, and others for the worse." The two avatars gave him a smile. "I want you to take this. It enhances natural abilities, skills with which one was born." handing old his hand Naruto took the small bottle that was within it, nodding once before pocketing it. "Give it to whomever you feel will benefit the most. Do not waste its powers simply holding it, use it."

"Thank you Athos." Naruto replied. "I'll be sure to keep them in line until the time comes." The old man smiled slightly as Hawkeye returned, everyone following him.

"Everyone is here." Hawkeye announced as the sun set.

"Thank you. Eliwood, your territory is the closest to Bern, is it not?" Athos addressed him.

"Yes, the border lies in the mountains."

"Very good. Now, please envision a nice, wide place in Pherae. Next, think of the name of a person you might meet there." Eliwood nodded and did as told. "Now, children of Roland, it is time to say farewell. You must reach the Shrine of Seals. There, your destinies' doors will open wide before you." and with that, there was a large flash of light as everyone disappeared, leaving Athos alone with his thoughts.

Pherae

"My beloved..." a woman prayed in her room. "I cannot believe you are gone. Every time I close my eyes, I see you at my side. Your memory haunts me and I am filled with sorrow. Elbert... if by some chance you can hear my prayer... please look after our son."

"Mother..." came a voice from the other side of her door, her eyes snapping open.

"What?!" she replied as she stood up and ran to the door, opening it and looking out. "Eliwood? Where... where are you?"

Relief washed over her as she turned to see Eliwood walking down the hall, multiple familiar faces and many unfamiliar faces alongside him. "Mother! I'm home! I've returned!" he called to her as they approached her.

"Ah! Eliwood! Is it really you? Oh, how did you... you startled me so!"

"Forgive me mother. The Archsage sent us." she moved closer to him to see him better.

"You look so tired. Have you lost weight? Oh, come closer and let me see your face." Eliwood walked forward and embraced his mother, the woman returning his hug with a smile of happiness.

"Mother... about, father..." Eliwood began.

"I heard his last moments were glorious. Though he's gone, he will ever be my life's joy."

"I know."

"Come... let us make everyone comfortable. You all look in need of a rest."

"I'm sorry mother. We must hurry onward..."

"Eliwood." interrupted Naruto for the first time. "It's just one night. Plus, we all need it. We've been travelling heavily and we need to rest and regain our strength."

"One night isn't going to hurt us." Hector agreed. "Who knows when we'll be back this way?" Lyn nodded in agreement, relaxing as Naruto's arm slid around her gently.

"I also have need of Elbert's bedroom..." Eliwood let go of his mother and turned to face Naruto. "Eliwood, I told you why. Madam, may I?"

"Of... of course. This way." Naruto let go of Lyn and Keiko and followed her alongside Eliwood, entering the bedroom the woman came out of. "This is his room." Naruto gave her a light smile as he walked over to the bed, touching his shoulder with his left hand as a seal lit up there.

In a puff of smoke Eleanora's eyes widened as she saw Naruto hold the body of the man she loved, gently lying it on the bed. "Take all the time you need." Naruto told her as he calmly walked to the door. "Eliwood, I'll be in the courtyard." the red headed didn't respond as Naruto left, watching as his mother walked up to the bed and sat down on it.

"All done?" Keiko asked as he returned to the group.

"Yeah. Alright everyone, go get some rest. Merlinus, tomorrow morning we're getting rid of our spoils and purchasing new and better gear." the merchant nodded as everyone was directed to a bedroom for the night, leaving Naruto with Lyn, Florina, Hector and Keiko. "It's done. Eliwood and Lady Eleanora are saying their last goodbyes, together."

"That was a noble thing you did Naruto." Hector admitted, the blond giving him a smile. "I should retire to bed, it's late and if we're up against Nergal, we need as much rest as we can get." Watching him leave Naruto turned to Lyn and Florina, who both looked a little sleepy.

"We're not tired..." Florina spoke instantly after she yawned. "I just... I want to stay up..." her sleepy expression told Naruto otherwise as Lyn slipped an arm around her.

"I'll take her to bed. Don't keep us waiting too long." Naruto gave her a nod before bringing the two close and planting soft kisses on their lips, the two returning them gently before they went off together to get some sleep.

"Where to sexy?" Keiko questioned, looking at her brother. "To the courtyard?" Naruto nodded to her question and began walking, the dragoness delightedly jumping on his back with a giggle and being carried to the meeting location. "Hey Naruto? Should we start getting serious now?"

Naruto didn't reply for a moment, already lost in his own thoughts. When Naruto and Keiko got serious, that meant they stopped giving advice and started taking action, their spar when Naruto first met Lyn being a clear indication of what they were capable of. _'I think it's time.'_ the blond nodded once. "From here on out, we join their cause as strategists and warriors." Keiko nodded once. "We keep our powers sealed as we have no need of them at full release."

Keiko nodded, her bubbly behaviour dissipating within a moment as she put on a face of seriousness. What Naruto meant by full release was releasing one hundred percent of their sealed away abilities, making them nearly as powerful as Kami and Shinigami themselves. The only issue with going full release was, Naruto and Keiko both needed permission from Kami and Shinigami before they could do so otherwise the duo both faced severe penalties and backlashes from releasing such power.

"Yes brother." sliding down from his back Keiko slipped an arm around him and walked side-by-side, Naruto returning the gesture with a gentle smile. "Eliwood will carry out his dad's body won't he?" Naruto gave a lone nod as they exited the castle and entered the courtyard, looking around.

"We wait for Eliwood." the blond told his green haired sister, who smiled. "The only problem I have is if we run into the Four Fangs again. As easy as they were to take down..." Keiko grinned perversely. "They'll know that tactic and easily work around it."

"So why not hit them with an element of our choosing?" Naruto looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow. "They'll be thrown completely off guard when we suddenly launch a river of lava straight at them."

"And cause the climate to suddenly go awry?" Keiko looked mildly abashed at his words. "I see where you're coming from though, but Lava is only usable if it gets too cold." She responded with a nod, smiling gently. "We should stick to the basic elements and only use the sub-elements if necessary."

"Naruto." came Eliwood's voice behind him, the duo turning to see him standing there carrying his father's body. Standing behind him was Eleanora, who looked very upset alongside Marcus, Lowen, Isadora and several other guards. "It's time." Naruto and Keiko both nodded as Eliwood walked down the steps and turned right, walking silently with his mother and loyal guards following him.

Arriving at the large garden located behind the castle Eliwood walked forward to a small clearing and laid his father's body down, stepping back as Naruto and Keiko both walked forward. Placing their hands together they both whispered at the same time. "Wood release... nativity of nature." and bent down, both placing their hands on the ground.

Eleanora watched in astonishment as flowers grew from around them and shot towards her life's love's body, gently wrapping around it. For an instant she felt a jolt of hope that he would be revived, but it passed as he disappeared into the earth, covered by a small growing tree. "It is done mother." Eliwood informed her, the woman nodding silently. "Father is... home. And at peace."

Eleanora didn't reply, instead she walked forward to the spot he was resting at and bent down. "My husband..." she whispered as she felt tears in her eyes. Feeling a hand on her shoulder she looked up to see Naruto standing there, his own eyes showing small hints of sadness. "Lord... Naruto..."

"He is at peace now and home." His words provided her with comfort as she clutched onto his hand, slowly standing up. "It is late. We should rest for tonight."

"I... yes. You're right." the group slowly made their way back into the castle with Naruto escorting Eliwood's mother back to her room. "Thank you. So much, for doing this." Naruto simply responded with a smile. "Please, take care of my son."

"I promise to." Naruto replied as she entered her bedroom. Turning to Eliwood who was the only one present he nodded to him once. "Let's retire for the night."

"Your room is with Lyn and Florina, next to Hector. I will guide you there." turning around and walking up a corridor Naruto and Keiko followed him, heading up and along a few corridors to the guest wing. "This is your room."

"Thank you Eliwood."

"No, thank you." Eliwood gently knocked on the door. "I will see you in the morning. Rest well Naruto and Keiko." walking off as the door opened the two avatars were greeted by Lyn, who grabbed them and pulled them inside.

Thankfully Naruto had thrown up a silence seal the second he entered, as he didn't want to awaken Hector with what Lyn, Keiko, Florina who was still awake and himself got up to.

**I... am alive. And yes, I am finally back after disappearing for WAY too long.**

**Firstly, a major apology to those who I have kept waiting. I hit the dreaded writer's block back in last may when I had written around half of this out already, and it lasted for a while until I lost inspiration in it. Life hit me hard at various times, and multiple times I did my best to sit down and try and type something with no results.**

**Secondly, a massive thank you to those who have waited patiently for me to continue this and yes, this is still ongoing. I am NOT putting this on the shelf, and I am doing my best to put some time aside each day to write this a little bit.**

**Thirdly, I restarted Fire Emblem and went down Hector's Hard Mode route, which is why some conversations will come from his point of view. If I miss something out I will do Eliwood's story on Hard to see what I've missed, and see what I can make of it.**

**Finally, review corner:**

**Dias of All Final: Nope, Ninian is going to be with Eliwood.**

**sh8ad8ow: And here it is.**

**The Engulfing Silence: Yes, a bit of a half-assed start I will admit, but that was my first proper chapter that I didn't use common sense in. However I've realized my mistake and I'll correct it at a later date. And yes it was short, my writing skills for fight scenes weren't the best then and they've only improved in small amounts.**

**jprice410: Next is the world of Dragon Ball-Dragon Ball Z, and it'll begin before the story of Bardock. Not revealing where it's going to end though.**

**Kyoshiro: Thank you! And apologies for it being so late.**

**lou2003us: Thank you! And here you are!**

**gster391: Thank you!**

**firehelm: Yes I am, and here's the next chapter.**

**Have a Little Feith: It's not going to be Fiora either! She may get paired, she may not. We'll just have to see!**

**Final notice, thank you to all my readers and reviewers. It means a lot that you take the time to read and review my story. Read and review and please give me some constructive criticism and tell me what you think. Also, since the next chapter will be against Linus, who should appear first and join later? Wallace or Geitz? Whichever wins the deciding vote, will be put in.**

**Thanks again! This is The Inspirationalist, out!**


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